Both Are Infinite: Book One
by Thiriel
Summary: Almost a year!!!!! BRI Book I has finally been finished =) Thousand thanks to all my supporters! Hope you continue to read the sequel, and get more people to read Book I!
1. First Among Equals

1 Gaea Regained Hello, Escaflowne lovers! This is my first time writing a fanfic and posting stuff on the web, so please allow for any inconvenience or stupid writing. I hope that my story is entertaining. I write in a weird style, so I would really appreciate it if you would read it carefully. This is a story for the fans who enjoyed the romantic plot of the original series – I aim to give Van and Hitomi the happiness they deserve. I know it's slow in the beginning but I'm sure you'll find something later on that'll strike you. Neways, hope you enjoy the read. Any comments is greatly appreciated ^_^  
  
1.1.1 First Among Equals  
  
I, through all chances that are given to mortals,  
  
And through all fates that be,  
  
So long as this close prison shall contain me,  
  
Yea, though a world shall sunder me and thee,  
  
Thee shall I hold, in every fibre woven,  
  
1.1.1.1 Not with dumb lips, nor with averted face  
  
Shall I behold thee, in my mind embrace thee,  
  
Instant and present, thou, in every place…  
  
Living, remembering, to eternity.  
  
Paulinus of Nola  
  
When the setting sun hangs aslant in the lilac bosom of the eastern sky, a thousand streaks of imperishable gold would pierce through the majestic foliage of the forest. It was during times like this that the fatigued young man would lay his body and soul down in the quiet bower protected by the spirits of nature and of the dead. Over the years, the cedars once devastated by the Destiny War have grown back to their radiant selves, and now the verdure surrounding the royal tombs, and the dormant guymelef, created a little dell, whose ramparts of peerless trees concealed it from the footpath to the castle garden.  
  
Van calls it the "Empyrean", because it is a plot of earth as celestial as the azure heavens above. Here the lush softness of the grass and the melodies of the birds could soothe him. Here he could lie down, look up and weld his weary being into the Mystic Moon that would be just beginning to unveil its wholesome beauty – a beauty under which he feels miniscule, ephemeral yet still important. He wished that he would never be unkind again in his life. If he stared at the view above him long enough, he would see the view turn into a painting for a moment, when Infinity and Eternity reached down to him in the form of the first evening star. To cease cherishing such splendid panorama would be an unforgivable crime committed against the deities who gave him this Empyrean as compensation.  
  
That particular evening, a zephyr swept through the dell and seemed to have rippled the watery sky. Van trembled with the constellations because he knew that it was time. Somewhere deep in the idealism of his often- unimaginative mind, he heard the ethereal resonance of the cradlesong, sung so long ago by the mother and brother whose love made its tune immortal. Van imagined the notes to be prancing forth from the graves that lay just a few steps away. Enveloped by this inexplicable sensation that both haunted and comforted him, he fell into a trance, which was not a sleep but a soft reach into the sky.  
  
The song continued in its tranquility, celebrating love gained and lost and regained for all eternity. A chorus of spirits sang:  
  
1.2 As once the angel-winged lover had caught  
  
Within his hand a heart-full of feathers  
  
Pure in their divine white, as once he fought  
  
The dragon-world stormed by man's wild weather,  
  
Does he now catch her in the sphere of dreams:  
  
Thus lost, yet thus live, thus love and thus sleep,  
  
To purge pain in the moonlight stream that seems  
  
To be filled with tears which Death and Fate weep.  
  
All that is there dances to day and night  
  
And sings to an aged Aeolian lyre  
  
That diffuses not music but boundless light,  
  
Forming a ring around Love's central fire.  
  
Heart and Soul of mine, in dreams may we be,  
  
Warmed by our sun of th'Elysian Scene,  
  
Enfolded in our own Eternity,  
  
Where e'en remote past and future seem serene.  
  
("The Dream of a Dream" – found by Valorick Folken de Fanel, in his father's journal)  
  
The Empyrean stood in awe of this visionary meeting between two souls who forever hold each other but never touch. A star was shot down as a tear the sky shed, expressing its willingness to lend itself as the only conceivable metaphor for so tragic and immense a love.  
  
Since two years ago, Van had lovingly and carefully held on to the image of Hitomi floating up above him, carried by the beam of golden air that he still sees as a promise for her eventual return. That evening after she left, while traces of her scent still lingered there, he lay down on the grounds of the dell, encased the pendant in his palms, and they both dreamt of the two of them trying to catch a fish in the river. This time they had dreamt about watching a sunset from the top of Fanelian Valley. Such reveries were different from calls of or thoughts about each other. He had first called her when she stood at the bus stop by the sea and she saw his thin body perched on the rocks, his wings immaculate white against the yellow light. Hitomi knew the unparalleled magnificence of these dreams, utterly unlike the daunting visions that used to strike her violently. These were not prophecies but present fusion of two souls that were meant to merge into one as surely as the sky and sea meet. And even when one cannot see the horizon, it is there. They both longed for the revisiting of the dreams and bless the heavens that each time was more vivid than the last. Hitomi thanked the sky for its metaphor.  
  
Poor children, your fortune leads your love. I must help you understand. Dornkirk has been too ruthless. But now you still have to fathom it, even if you don't want to. It has only begun.  
  
"Lord Van! Oh where are you, Lord Van? Answer me! Lord Van!" The familiar warmth of a voice so worried and sharp pierced the cerulean vapor that surrounded the dell. The spirits retreated back to their sanctuary.  
  
Merle…thought Van as he propped his revitalized body on his elbows. "In here," he yelled with a grin, thinking of the hug and kiss he will soon receive.  
  
The long, pointy ears, wavy pink locks – slightly longer now and tied with a ribbon – and sapphire eyes soon appeared from behind the cedar guards who blocked the outside world.  
  
She skipped towards him and cuddled into the curve of his body – increased age has not caused her to shy away from him – and put here arms around his neck which was probably too swan-like for a young warrior.  
  
"Oh Lord Van, I haven't seen you all day," she whined and licked his pale cheek. "Well, I knew you'd be here. Orion says to remind you that dusk will arrive sooner in the winter, so you'd have to come up here earlier when…whenever you need to be with her. Oh, and he says to tell you if you miss dinner again tonight, you will have to go and discuss diplomacy with Nestor – ugh!" She rolled her eyes at the last thought.  
  
"Hmm…" Van pondered and signaled for Merle to get off his lap. He solemnly stood up on his feet and walked, almost sauntered, towards the path, leaving this mystic dreamland, for now.  
  
They strolled down the garden path, along the side of the castle, enjoying the cool evening air mixed with the fragrance of new grown trees. Van crossed his arms and studied the russet dirt he treaded on, somewhat reverently because the color resembled the color of valor on soldiers' faces. Merle skipped along beside him, sometimes picking a flower, humming a tune, then muttering something about how when she has to go teach at the school, Orion will be a good friend and take care of Van.  
  
It was not that Van took Merle's liveliness and friendship for granted, but he had to silently wait for the emergence of the view seen from the edge of the castle's top.  
  
When they reached there, he finally looked up and saw it – the view of his Fanelia. It was the Dragon's Valley, which lies below the Fanelian Hill that now provides the grounds for a public school, hospital, and rows upon rows of houses inhabited by Fanelians and foreigners alike. From this hill on which both the palace and dell are, only the valley can be seen. After the rebuilding commenced, Van had renamed it Palladium, capital of Fanelia – it was the name Dryden helped him choose out of the ancient texts, meaning, "that on which the people depends". The Fanelian Hill was established as the second city of Fanelia and named Fidell, with no particular meaning but certain aptness. The old Fanelia had gone with the twilight of a Dark Age during which man warred against himself.  
  
Walking towards the centre of the castle, the colors of the city plashed to their eyes, along with the increasingly dark footsteps of the dusk. There was the green of the trees, the gray and brown of the buildings, the gold of the street lamps and the rainbow of the people. But mainly, the hue is emerald. All the colors mixed together would yield this one hue that rings out to Van like a distant holy bell, announcing his arrival at the gates of paradise. Yet even when the bell tolled, he would sigh, but ere he could ask, "Have I done good?" a gentle voice would answer, "Yes, Van, you are the Giver." It was always the voice of the martyred black-winged angel whose heart, Van knows, cleansed both him and Fanelia of crimson flames.  
  
By the time they ascended the steps of the palace, the last hint of mauve had trickled out of the firmament. But because of the rows of street lamps illuminating the veins of the city, Palladium seemed an endless day beneath the universal night.  
  
Just at the gate of the palace, a stout and youthful figure was crouched over long, wooden beams that stretched out on top of the stairs. It was a young man, exactly Van's age, with neatly trimmed brunette hair and large, deeply set blue eyes that give his chiseled face something more breathtaking than virile charm.  
  
As soon as Van saw the young man, he halted on the spot and stared. "Hey, boy! Get over here right now!" Harshness of tone was something Van tried very hard to get rid of ever since Folken told him to 'let go'.  
  
Obediently, the boy dropped his tools and hurried over, with an expression of fear at the sternness of his king. However, just before he reached where Van stood, a clownish smile dashed across his face, he leapt up and landed with his arm around Van's shoulder and one hand muddling Van's hair.  
  
"Hey right back at ya, Van Fanel!" he said laughingly and released Van from his grip. "Well, you look alive enough. I trust the dell was promising."  
  
"Yes, it was," an image of the Empyrean, flashed across his mind. "But apparently not as promising as a few hours at the work-site."  
  
"Ah, don't give me that grin! I'm deader than ever. Remember that pond you wanted in the lounge of the hospital? Well, the water somehow seeped through the clay in-between the tiles, so we had to drain the ground. Then – oh, you'll love this – a few of the bedrooms in the palace were infested with wood-eating bugs, so what I was doing with the new planks was – Why, if it isn't the cat girl!"  
  
Merle had fallen behind a bit when she remained at the bottom of the steps to talk with some children, and was now catching up. Other than Van, she has now found a new cushion to embrace and kiss, except this one has a vastly different significance than the first.  
  
"Orion!" she hopped on and hung from his shoulders. "Eww! You stink like sweat. I see all the opportunities to prove your brute strength have proved more irresistible today."  
  
"Ha, ha, ha!" he roared pretentiously and nearly threw her of off him. "And you smell like a cat, oh…and like Van. I hope you're not cheating on me now!" His raspberry blows were retaliated with girlish punches on the arm.  
  
Van stood like a statue at the gate, watching the two kids roam through fairyland. Eventually, he murmured with a deep tone that concealed what felt like guilt, "Orion, I thank you and the others, I _"  
  
"Don't mention it, I know. Come on, let's go get us some food." With one arm on Merle's shoulder, one on Van's, he guided them into the new dining hall."  
  
. . . . . . .  
  
"Here is a postcard of the finished public school," Orion pointed at the painted picture in his hand. "Nice place for you to work in, Merle. You can keep the card, Van. By the way, that good old advisor of yours has decided to grace us with his presence at dinner. And yes, as you may have guessed, he will be discussing diplomatic matters – namely the Gaean Alliance meeting next color, and the infamous saga of Sir Allen and the princesses of Asturia." Merle and Orion giggled behind Van's back.  
  
"Hmm…" Once again he led on.  
  
. . . . . . .  
  
It all flowed through him like liquid through a funnel but instead of being vaporized, the water fell free into a glassy jar and was frozen into a crystalline entity. With what solemnity, Van observed, did Nestor speak of the Alliance, as if the mere speculation of its possible failure would quake this advisor more than it would his king. Perhaps it was this care and seriousness of his that helped the burdened young ruler channel through the ocean of politics and kingship, then preserve it all in his mind's crystal chamber that bears the image of his – no, their – ideal Gaea.  
  
Matters concerning the Gaean Alliance were certainly not pleasant to listen to – especially not during dinner. Reborn out of the ashy graveyard of the Destiny War was not only the once primitive Fanelia, but also every other war-weary nation on this tearful world. Having the hope and perseverance bequeathed to him from his brother, and even from the ingenious but fatally wrong Dornkirk, Van was convinced that the bringing together of nations would mean sowing the seed for a new era of peace.  
  
A world is more than the sum of the people who live in it – something greater must be there, some unseen power of common wishes and achievements. It was this power that Van unleashed to heal Gaea when he announced, at the Peace Treaty in Palas some two summers ago, that a multiple alliance should be established, and political, economic equality achieved. But however sanguine he may be, he would always know the impossibility for true parity to exist other than between two individuals.  
  
With gaping mouths, the people marveled at King Van's magnanimity and wisdom for helping Zaibach erase Dornkirk's shadow and elect a righteous leader. With even more incredulity did they witness his refusal of the accolade of Triumvir, in the Triumvirate that consisted of Asturia, Basram and Fanelia.  
  
Because his white wings had fanned away the hatred on the battlefield that day, and his strength mysteriously defeated inevitability, the people vehemently and sincerely see him as the dove holding the laurel. He had become the incarnation of Peace. But he hates paragons and symbols, for they, like any archetypes, are prejudices masked by the good will of benign folks who wish to see a benign world filled with transcendental good everywhere. Yes, they triumphed, and yes, there is a renaissance, but this is not the Ultimate Ideal, the glorious end. He has suffered too much not to know that even life is not high enough of a price to pay for everlasting harmony. There is nothing more burdensome for a mortal than to be one of many paragons. Even if there were one, it would have to be what they had together.  
  
Eventually, out of genuine sympathy for the disillusioned people who desperately needed someone who gives and decides, and out of irritation for the drunken, ignorant old monarchs who wanted the old, tyrannous ways, Van decided to pacify both sides. He would shoulder the karma of peace as he once shouldered the karma of war, but he was less certain this time because he had no Folken or Hitomi beside him. He concealed such doubts and fears, which his worshippers would take to indicate disappointing cowardice. Thus did he accept the accolade last year, and became Gaea's Triumvir, the First Among Equals.  
  
. . . . . . .  
  
"Our conference room will be ready," Nestor uttered unhurriedly, after one of his few sips of the soup. "I have ordered the making of every nation's flags, and they will be hung all around the capital when the leaders arrive. Here are some of the things which will be discussed" – a light snort came from the other side of the table where Merle sat – "Uh…yes, Zaibach will announce the amount of machines it will distribute to each country; further reconstruction fees will be allocated to Fanelia and Freid; money for Basram's scientific research will be decided; Daedalus is having pollution problems with the guymelef disposal plant. Oh, and the…the…" Nestor searched frantically through his collection of political papers.  
  
"The issue with Allen, I presume," Van blurted with some impatience – but felt awful about it immediately.  
  
Nestor bowed his head slightly and did not dare to look straight into Van's eyes. "Yes, Your Majesty. As you know, the Crusade will be coming tomorrow to take you to Palas. Sir Allen will no doubt inform you of the details regarding Asturian laws of divorce and marriage."  
  
"Thank you, Nestor. You can go now, I mean," Van squeezed his eyes and switched to a less imposing tone, "do stay and finish the meal with us."  
  
Nestor looked up and responded to Van's gentle eyes with an all- encompassing smile that saddened Van a bit because it somehow reminded him of his father, whom he only had fleeting glimpses of. This strange kinship between the king and the royal advisor stretched so thinly between the two that it was usually voiceless and invisible yet was violently felt by Nestor at all times. He often had the inkling that Van is like the grandson he never had. He would go to sleep each night wishing he could be closer to this dragon king whose feelings about love has forever eluded the otherwise sagacious old man.  
  
No conscious ruler would overlook the indispensable role played by an advisor who is a library of all the wise ideas and just laws ever practiced on Gaea. Van certainly likes Nestor with a solemn respect. Ever since Dryden brought him to Fanelia to become the royal advisor, Nestor had always researched ceaselessly in the library of his mind whenever King Van needed help or counsel. Although no one could ever really become another's right hand, Van had always acknowledged Nestor's wisdom, and listened attentively as a grandson would listen to a grandfather's story about the old days.  
  
If Van had found an elderly guardian in Nestor, then he certainly found a brother in Orion – not a replacement of Folken, but one who could have been a sibling, had the royal family not suffered such tragedy. During the time when the Fanelian people were drowning in loss and dear, watching the cremation of their beloved homeland, Orion, then a fifteen-year-old, raised them out of hopelessness by teaching them the principles of survival. "Wait and see," he'd say with a smile, "King Van will never abandon us. He'll win the war and return to build a better Fanelia. Just wait and hope." This blue-eyed youth did not know that these were prophetic words.  
  
Having spent his life in the Fanelian Forest, Orion knew much about survival in the wild. He taught the people how to build huts out of branches and clothes out of leaves. Along with Ran and the pack, he aided the men in learning how to defend themselves and how to hunt. Such love for his people and country did others witness that no one would ever have guessed that he had no home in Fanelia – just a hut beneath a tree and a dog he called his brother. Both perished in the Zaibach attack.  
  
When Van first heard about "that angel of a boy", he intuitively felt that Orion would be someone he could trust, and even befriend. To this day, he still holds Orion to be the true hero of Fanelia, though the latter would laugh away such a suggestion. After a repertoire of Van offering an official position and Orion refusing it because he felt himself unworthy, the intelligently persuasive king pushed the boy into the role of First Commander. Gradually, the military position – which was largely empty most of the time because there was no war – was transformed into the role of best friend.  
  
Other than Merle, Van had never really known friendship of the kind that is never spoken but always understood. Had it not been for Orion's almost miraculous ability to make Van smile, even after they talk about Hitomi, Van's soul would have been banished by himself, sent shrieking into the abyss throbbing with pain that was once joy. Had it not been for Orion's persistence in reassuring Van of the reconstruction schemes, Fanelia may still be a tiny place cornered in the confines of the valley. His is a loyalty that created, out of the infinite nothingness, something to rely on and hope for.  
  
After dinner, Orion sat full-bellied on the futon, trying to teach the other two how to build tiny houses and figurines out of scrap wood, paper and rocks. But to his grave disappointment, only Merle was amused by his comic buffoonery. He had seen Van smile, but there was always something inauthentic about those grins – they did not sprout from the bottom of his heart and make his eyes glitter. More than he wanted a family of his own, more than he prayed for the growing prominence of Fanelia, Orion wished for one thing: to hear Van's laughter.  
  
Resting against the windowpane that was faded because of daily exposure to the high noon sun, Van studied the green and blue patches that mark the surface of the Mystic Moon. Does Gaea look this tranquil from afar? He thought. Noticing the silence that overtook Van and knowing the solitude that it necessitated, Orion put one hand over Merle's mouth and carried her outside.  
  
Enclosed in the spaciousness of his simple yet homely room, Van extinguished the candles with his fingers and crept noiselessly onto the futon, and lay in the moonbeam that shone through, like a silver river flowing from his universe to him.  
  
For a moment, his eyes scintillated with the splendor of the stars and his taut body melted into the coolness of the moonlight. Softly and ever so steadily, he whispered her name.  
  
Hitomi.. Then she appeared before him, half-real, half-visionary. Sitting at her desk, examining what looked like a relic, among a cluster of books, she felt a white feather brush her wrist.  
  
Looking up, she clasped her hands in ecstasy. "Oh Van, I'm doing just fine, really. Archaeology is very interesting, I wish I could tell you more about it. You have to be brave, Van. Be the great king that I know you are."  
  
Those words sufficed for now. Even though it had been mere seconds, it will be enough. Hitomi.  
  
. . . . . . .  
  
What he woke up to in the morning was the sound of hammering, and of the roofs beating with rain tilting from the Northeast. The sound was reminiscent of a parade and it invigorated him to hurry the beginning of the workday.  
  
Perspiring and soaked, the workers waved to their superior who has just newly joined the rank of digging a canal in Palladium. A river was necessary for transportation and irrigation, so seeing how the city lies in a basin, the water from the mountain springs could be rerouted to flow down the canal and into the valley.  
  
Almost all the workers would steal a glance at the king once in a while, reverencing his steady devotion to the shovel and dirt. If Van ever saw anyone looking at him with idolizing eyes, he'd flash a quiet smile. Whoever received the smile, would know that it concealed an anxious, excruciating void, bereft of whatever substance that once cuddled its walls. Knowing better than to ask, everyone helped him fill, with as much work and boisterous humor as possible, that death-like void.  
  
As a dry person looking at the wet world, Van wondered how anyone could ever consecrate a mortal who is just like any other man. For that is what he is, an injured young man, who had just exited the tempestuous race of his childhood – during which he had never really been a child – into the stroll on the spacious lane of adulthood. He bore everything, not as a hero, not as a leader, but as himself, Van – wretched, torn and frightened. What everyone thought he gave Gaea was really not his efforts alone; it was the amalgamation of many people's dreams and powers. Everyday, he has to bitterly swallow his somber sense of guilt and shame as the people give the credit to him alone.  
  
These good-willed folks once depended and doted on gods and heroes, on the super-human and unattainable. But having found this extraordinary boy, this Giver, they now enshrine him, making their belief in the paragon of goodness a tangible reality. People flooded into Fanelia, even from Zaibach, to be a citizen in the blessed land led by the most boundless of men.  
  
All Van wished to tell them was that he is not the hero, but the dragon. All his life he had been the dragon, desiring only a wet and peaceful fen, with a mate. But along came a gallant knight who gained honor by piercing the dragon's heart. He himself had been that slayer – all of the Fanelian kings had – but he does not want to be anymore. Dragon blood should only flow within his veins and not outside dripping from his sword.  
  
A little after mid-day, Van and the others had moved on to building the foundation of the highway linking Palas and Fanelia. By then, his hair and clothes had been drenched but his spirit eager all the same.  
  
However much the status of king beckoned for a more sumptuous outfit, Van clung onto his old red shirt and beige pants. "They have sentimental value," Hitomi once said of her own clothes. For him, these were threaded with the very pains and joys his soul faced, all the emotions waiting to burst the seams and form a vortex by which he can be transported to her again.  
  
Merle searched the crowd for that familiar and noticeable red, amid the entire gray. "Lord Van! Lord Van!" she yelled, and sprinted as soon as she caught sight of the red.  
  
"Lord Van, the Crusade will arrive soon. Look, your face is dripping wet," she lovingly wiped his pale face which, had it not been so weary, would be exceedingly ravishing in an unpolished, bucolic way. "Merle," he took her paw and pressed it in his hands. "You needn't worry about me. Go and tell Orion to greet the Crusade for me. I just have to visit the tombs once again before I leave. I have to tell…her. You understand."  
  
Her glassy eyes gleamed with sisterly concern. "Lord Van…"  
  
"Merle!" he stiffened his voice, hoping he'd sound stern.  
  
"Oh, all right!" she pranced off, hollering "Orion" all the way down the street.  
  
Fixating his immense eyes on the end of the footpath, he made his pilgrimage. The tress rustled all around him. He called for her. Their rosy pendant burned into his chest. He became curiously horrified by the thought that this simple, largely uneventful and even barren life just goes…on…and on, until death. But the dell will be there. The susurrus of the trees remained, the song resonated. A moment passed, a month passed, a year passed. The song will always be heard. Another year passed, followed by one more. The trees keep on rustling. Hitomi.  
  
~ End of Part I ~ 


	2. Kingdoms Near and Far

1 Gaea Regained  
  
II. Kingdoms Near & Far  
  
Knows't thou the mountain, with its bridge of cloud?  
  
The mule plods wearily; the white mists crowd.  
  
Coiled in their caves the brood of dragons sleep,  
  
The torrent hurls the rock from steep to steep.  
  
Knows't thou the land so far and fair!  
  
Thou, whom I love, and I will wander there.  
  
Goethe, "Mignon Songs"  
  
1.1 I think of you, whenever sun's bright shimmer  
  
From ocean streams;  
  
I think of you, whenever moon's soft glimmer  
  
In wellsprings gleams…  
  
I am with you, though you be far and pining,  
  
You are so near!  
  
The sun goes down. The stars will soon be shining.  
  
Would you were here!  
  
Goethe, "Love's Proximity"  
  
Legend has it that the Aegean island, Thera, was once the empire of Atlantis. According to Plato and other texts from the ancient people, Atlantis was built on an island, situated between Asia and Africa, with three concentric circles of land, at the centre of which was the island temple of Poseidon, glittering with splendid gold and silver. Thera matches such a description. Her inhabitants had splendour reminiscent of the divine race of sea and air Atlanteans who moved the Earth and, as Hitomi knows, moved Gaea. Some historians have identified the earthquake and flood that allegedly punished the Atlanteans for their omnipotence and omniscience as the 1500 B.C.E. volcanic explosion that sunk the central part of Thera. 3000 years later, archaeologists unearthed an entire city beneath the remaining grounds of the Aegean island. The first discovery, this key piece of clue leading to the lost empire, was named Akrotiri.  
  
. . . . . . .  
  
Looking out into the green expanses of the Sea of Crete – the deepest section of the Aegean – Hitomi pressed her fingers vexingly into a copy of Timaeus & Critias. Plato had accounted true the Egyptians' belief that their ancestors were Atlanteans, wise ones who travelled from west of the Pillars of Hercules (which Atlantis scholars now take to mean the cliffs of the Peloponnes), escaping the oceanic grave of their island kingdom. Atlantis still eluded her. If the Mystic Valley was Atlantis on Gaea and the draconians were the descendants, then where was Atlantis on Earth, and to whom did the Atlantean bloodline go? Is there some power source on Earth that can transform human thought into energy? Is Fate on Earth more inescapable than on Gaea? Can there be a kind destiny for her, for a world that does not have him? The labyrinth of these questions almost burned the emerald waters to charcoal. She shut her eyes tightly at her own incompetence to solve the mystery, and at the impossibility of her ever sharing what she knows of the draconians with her fellow Atlantis searchers.  
  
Boreas, god of the northern wind, suddenly swept through her fawn tresses. A voice reached out to her. Hitomi.  
  
She opened her eyes and stared out beyond the horizon. Her teardrops mingled with the waves beneath. Great heaven and great earth meet.  
  
Van…  
  
What held her the most was his voice, at once resonant and tender, steady and quivering. She often filled her blood with the sound and intonation of Van shouting, whispering or crying, and her soul would tremble with each cadence. That voice is the deathless song of the Phoenix that unites life and death, and carries her above the bounds of mutability.  
  
Where can I find Atlantis, Van? Oh, please…  
  
Shh, it's okay. You're going to be just fine.  
  
Caressed, she dropped her books and fell to the ground, intoxicated by his presence yet struck by the knowledge that he was in fact far away.  
  
"Hitomi! Hitomi!" The high-bouncing voice of her old friend floated from a few feet away. A ship now sailed, like a black dot breaking the horizon. The Mediterranean air was once again suffocating.  
  
"Whoa! Are you alright?" Yukari gently held her up. "Hitomi, you should take better care of yourself. Your mom will blame me if something happened to you. It's the heat isn't it?" She wiped Hitomi's brows with a handkerchief.  
  
"Yeah, probably," Hitomi gasped for air in short, tight intervals, hoping Yukari would not notice.  
  
"Well, here, a letter just came for you. After you finish, you should come back to the tent. We have to get packing soon. Dr. Van Riel is taking us to Thera in three hours. Get ready for some sailing!" Yukari stood up, patted Hitomi on the head and walked off, half practicing this Greek dance she had just learned.  
  
Dusting the sepia dirt off her books, Hitomi balanced them on her lap and used them as a small table on which she placed her letter:  
  
"My dearest daughter,  
  
How is the warm Cretan weather? I trust that you are taking care of yourself with as much caution as you take care of the ancient ruins. The Mediterranean may be well enough, but here in the Pacific, things are chaotic. As you undoubtedly know, the Pan Pacific war has gotten worse. In Tokyo, there are talks about abandoning neutrality and attacking either China or America. But to anger either one of the warring superpowers would mean our destruction. Why can't they stop fighting? You understand, don't you, my Hitomi, you know about humanity's bloodthirsty death wish and you see beyond it all. Would there were more people like you. If we do go to war, your father says he would join the forces and fight either one of the countries that have so foolishly boiled the Pacific. His heart is good and righteous but he is aged and he has us to take care of. I wish you could return soon and dissuade him. But then, I want you to stay where it is safe. Everyone else is well. I will write again soon. Don't forget to call home every weekend.  
  
Love Always, Mother."  
  
"Oh, mother…" with bittersweet thoughts about home, she headed back to the campsite.  
  
. . . . . . .  
  
After three painstakingly laborious years of studying ancient civilizations during her spare time, Hitomi entered the University of Tokyo, confident in her knowledge of the mysteries that are symbolized by the pendant that constantly swings in her nostalgic mind. Coming back to Earth, coming back to adolescent preoccupations that she neither yearned for nor remembered, the then fifteen-year-old Hitomi felt herself to be a hundred, so weak, disoriented, shrivelled up, with one foot in death's door and far too old for life. "Nothing", that nihilistic word consumed her with such hopelessness that she sometimes forgot to breathe. Nothing has meaning. Nothing is the same. Nothing matters more than he. Nothing.  
  
Benumbed by this substantial enemy, she withdrew herself into an abandoned room, full of cobwebs and dark corners, and she called the room, "Eternity".  
  
Whenever Van called out to her, his throat would choke with pain from seeing her thus. Yet as she buried herself into his sublime immanence, she'd cry – a deluge of tears, a whirlpool of agony. It would rain, the beating of the drops on the roof in sync with her heartbeats.  
  
How was this a life? How can such a destiny beautiful? Perhaps they did not surpass Fate after all. Why did their love, which had so mysteriously penetrated Gaea's dark clouds, now scorch them in such a crucible? Existence appeared in the shape of a colossal question mark, and the spirits, gods they cried out to, stood deaf and motionless.  
  
But one day, one of them – they could not remember which one since the so often felt as a single being – realized that they have to be strong, they could not let death-in-life trample them. It was not like either of them to be the epitome of misery. They had to move on, but before doing so, they tied a string between themselves so no matter how far the distance, they'd always be connected.  
  
Run, Hitomi, run! We must leave this starless, sunless place.  
  
So she ran, sprinted and dashed. She ran towards the finish line and when she finally made the eleven seconds, Amano's kiss threw her off with embarrassment and disgust she could not have imagined a year ago. She ran away from shallow and rosy-eyed girls who only wanted to have their love fortunes read. She ran towards archaeology, which gave her the satisfaction that she could still participate in solving mysteries of a distant world. She ran away from the black hole of depression that threatened to draw her in.  
  
Three years of racing brought her to that lecture, given by the American archaeologist, Dr. Theo Van Riel. When he talked about Atlantis, her eyes glowed with curiosity and wonder, even when she knew some of his information to be false. After the speech, Hitomi carefully made sure that all the other students were gone, and then silently walked up to the professor who was cleaning up his lecture material.  
  
"Doctor?" she muttered shyly, her cheeks flushed, her eyes rolling, trying to search for the correct English words. "You say Atlantis has…secret power. Is it…ano…power of mind?" She glanced at the professor with half chattering teeth, fearing he'd find her crazy or ignorant.  
  
He put down his books, leaned forward over the table and observed Hitomi closely. "Young lady," he finally addressed, releasing the tension. "Would you like to come to the Aegean?"  
  
Just like that, she ran to Crete in a year, and has stayed there since, spending intervals of time in Egypt, Greece and Thera.  
  
There is much immortality in this Aegean Hitomi. She is enamoured of colossal ruins, mysterious codes, labyrinthine passages and endless expanses of time that lead all the way to the ancient kingdoms, full of beauty, wisdom and tragedy. These together form a radiant column, with golden dust flinging from its core as it winds up towards the receding Gaea.  
  
. . . . . . .  
  
Organizing their equipments and folding tents near the coast of Crete, the team of international archaeology students bustled with excitement. It was not easy being chosen as one of the thirty who actually get to see and touch what they loved studying in books. It was even harder to work with Dr. Van Riel, a most rare scholar who believed in empiricism and mythology simultaneously, and who had the audacity to search for Atlantis.  
  
"You're right, there is only a thin line between truth and myth." Hitomi couldn't help overhearing the conversation between two students. "I mean, Karl Georg in his The Aryans tied Atlantis to a place called Asgard. Who's to say he's not right?"  
  
Asgard…her eyes widened and her mind entered the tunnel of memory. But isn't that where the Mystic Valley is?  
  
'Hey, Hitomi, I got you your ice cream." Startled, she turned around and saw the tall Greek boy, with a "sorry look" on his face, because the ice cream was half melted.  
  
"Oh, thanks, Jason!" She said cheerfully.  
  
"Hey, I just found out from Dr. Van Riel that you and I are partners for the dig at Akrotiri this afternoon." Hitomi became silent, and awkwardness from the both of them filled that silence.  
  
He coughed and cleared his throat. "Um…well, I think I'd better…" Someone suddenly came up to them with two lunch boxes.  
  
"Yo, Jason, you should clean your tools better, man. I always go after you and I end up having to wash off the dirt." The young American yelled boisterously, pretending to be either annoyed or offended.  
  
"Yeah, whatever." Jason shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Hey, Hitomi," there was blatant flirtatiousness and disrespect in his honeyed tone. "You're looking fine today!" She simply stared at her tools and pretended he was not there.  
  
Then, out of uncontrollable stupidity, the boy slapped Hitomi's behind. She gasped and looked straight at him with burning eyes. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"  
  
Jason could hold in his rage no longer. "Come here, you!" He grabbed the boy by the neck and dragged him outside. A string of shouting and rustling followed.  
  
When he returned inside the tent, he saw Hitomi just sitting there, almost like a Greek statue, painted real by some lover of goddesses. "Are you okay, Hitomi? I apologize for that little jerk. He's just sexually repressed, you understand?"  
  
She giggled a bit but then frowned sadly at his bruised left cheek. "I'm sorry…thanks."  
  
"Nah, no problem." He chuckled a bit then sat down on the equipment box. "Can I ask you a…a personal question?" She looked up with an uncertain expression, afraid of what he'll ask, then nodded after some thought.  
  
"Tell me," he said gingerly, rubbing his chin with his fingers. "Who is he?"  
  
This bizarre question caused Hitomi's brows to narrow in confusion. She feared that she was right about what he meant. "Wh-what do you mean? Who's…who?"  
  
Jason sighed at her reluctance to disclose. "Come on, you know." She turned to face the wall. "Hitomi," he leaned forward and whispered with a fatherly calm, "The one you love. Who is he?"  
  
"I don't know what you mean!" she turned around abruptly and threw her ignorance at him. "How could you assume that I love someone?" The black hole was opening.  
  
"I've known you for a year. And…I've liked you for a year." Hitomi looked down shyly from his flushed face. "I see you thinking about him when you look at the sky or sea. When you talk about Atlantis, you're talking about the mystery you share with him, aren't you? Where is he?"  
  
For a second, her lips parted but no sounds came out. Jason had been as faithful a friend as Yukari, but his infatuation frightened Hitomi. He made a wish about the cheerful and knowledgeable Hitomi, a wish she can't always fulfill. She does still believe in returning people's trust and love, but his affection seemed uncomfortable somehow, like how it was with Allen. She now understood the encumbrance of being someone's dream that's like an unattainable unicorn prancing in the unseen fairyland. And now he wanted to know about…the only sensible action was to get up and walk out. Regret could not begin to describe what shame she felt for having to turn from someone who would teach her Greek and pick fruits for her.  
  
He caught her by the arm just as she was about to exit. "Look, you don't' have to tell me if you don't want to. I only asked because…because I want you to stop minding my liking you. Just ignore me and let me do it secretly. Don't go, let me finish. I also wanted to tell you that you should keep on lo-loving him. I know it brings you great pain, but for God's sake, don't ever stop, or else you'll regret it. I don't know what happened between you two, but I know that he is always with you." Jason heaved a pitiful sigh, hung his arms and head, then sat down in deep repose. The black hole vanished.  
  
Thank you, my friend, she must have thought or whispered, but it was not needed. Acknowledgement and declarations are for what cannot be felt without words.  
  
Stepping out into the sultriness of noon, Hitomi stole away from the peopled camp and went to look for olive and orange trees that are common on Crete.  
  
From the little mound where the fruit plants grew, she glimpsed at the world around her. This ancient land before her, full of faded riches, lay in a 5000-year sleep, but the modern land on the other side of the shiny globe spun in the turmoil of war. Which of these lands is truly alive? Which is closer to her?  
  
Life, for Hitomi, was a conglomerate of all the words man ever created as synonyms for "good" and "evil". Everywhere was neither jungle not garden, but a tornado, tumultuous all round yet tranquil in the middle, where the rare gifts of living assumed the shape of a soft, white feather.  
  
She stood with a pocket poetry book in one hand and an orange in another, her eyes turquoise as the Aegean. Looking upwards, she saw pass the ring of substance that seemed to lower itself continually towards the earth, a strange substance with a colour she could neither name nor recognize – it was not a part of the human colour code. She stared above, wondering if the Van Allen Belt surrounds the Earth just as her Van and Allen surrounded Gaea during the war.  
  
Boreas blew a feather against her arm. She suddenly remembered that "dragon" in Latin is "drakon", originally meaning, "to see". You make me see, Van, see the Truth, the centre of the cosmos. But I would gladly give up sight if only I could see you beside me.  
  
Was he far like ancient Egypt is far? Like Atlantis? Or was it like the stars that she may reach by some celestial locomotive, or by death? She opened her little book and read a line by the English playwright, Marlowe: "Absence is to love what wind is to fire: it extinguishes the small, it inflames the great."  
  
For five years, the string between them did not snap – dreams brought their reunion. She remembered catching a fish with him, watching a sunset with him, looking at him sleeping, running together, and in the most recent dream, she sat sewing his shirt while he alphabetized her books. A circumference of joy.  
  
They've always believed that they had something beyond physicality, even needless of it. The thoughts, images and dreams sufficed for this lifetime. But if it would also satisfy life after life of longing, then why did they ache thus?  
  
She pressed the book to her chest, leaned against the tree, and cried. Never has she done so openly, so dramatically, her heart bleeding drop by drop, silencing all menacing thoughts that ricocheted off the world's walls. She shut herself inside a prison, terrified that Van would hear or sense her – she did not want him to worry and to hurt as well. But unbeknown to her, he did experience the same longing that felt like death.  
  
Poor child, the present pain will be worth it, I promise. Be brave. I'm sorry for what I have to do.  
  
His arms, his scent, the valley between his neck and collarbones…it may be wisdom to be able to let go of what one loves, but she never wanted such wisdom. It is impossible to love and part. Love can be stretched, repressed, transfigured, obscured, but no, that feeling of cosmic transcendence cannot be left behind. Having risen above spurious infatuation and earthly possessions did not mean that she would feel less alone – all, all alone without his touch.  
  
If Love exists elsewhere, how may a mortal reach it?  
  
. . . . . . .  
  
"Hit!"  
  
"No, that was the wall!" Van snarled under his panting breath. "C'mon, concentrate harder. Close your eyes and listen for my movement."  
  
"Geez, I'm trying!" Orion made a clown face – only because Van could not see it. "Hyah!" he leapt up and struck with two hands on the sword. The thunderous clash of steel vibrated the room.  
  
"Don't thrust so hard right after you swing around. Build up the momentum and focus your energy on the last second before you strike." The image of Balgus always swayed before him and he followed it faithfully. To be a valiant samurai like Balgus was what many young knights dreamed of. But for this little hero, it was no fantasy, but a duty he held, for Fanelia and for the martyred dead. In his eagerness to become a better fighter, Van was unconsciously preparing for a future war he consciously prayed would never come.  
  
"Yes, sir! You know, I have no pendant!" Orion laughed but immediately slapped himself for it, knowing that his stupid joke must have elicited thoughts of her.  
  
"Quit joking around!" If anyone else ever made a joke about the holy relic that he consecrates daily, Van would unleash more than a shout. His best friend was the exception.  
  
Orion always marvelled at, and was somewhat intimidated by Van's request for them to practice fencing in the dark, sealed room where no sight would be possible. Van could not see Orion or his own fingers, but he knew that they both exist, each gripping the hilt, intent on hearing the other's movement. The pendant swings. They both exist. Whenever he hid himself under the covers, he could sense the presence of the Mystic Moon – even though he could not see it. To know that the moon exists and that she exists on it, that is already the whole of life.  
  
"How did you know I made that particular move, Van? Can you actually see me?" Orion asked half-sarcastically, knowing that Van, being human, can't possibly have vision in darkness.  
  
"No, of course I can't. I just memorized all your mistakes."  
  
"Very funny." A sudden burst of light from the doorway dissolved the darkness of sparring.  
  
"Hey, who's there? I was about to say something sarcastic!" Orion complained with one hand over his brows. Any chance to make Van laugh was hard earned. He always kept an eye open for opportunities, trying out new wit, physical stunts, or just simple foolishness. To not say something that he thought might have made his friend laugh would lead to self- reproach. The difference between Van and him, he thought, was that he himself wishes without ever gaining much either for himself or for others. Whereas Van, who hopes and gives for the whole world, has not received his one true wish.  
  
"Fighting the invisible enemy?" A clear and succulent voice rang from the silhouetted figure who leaned against the doorway.  
  
"Allen," Van immediately recognized the voice.  
  
"Oh, King Allen, I-I am so sorry." Orion nearly stuttered. Like many other boys, he grew up hearing legends about the invincible knight Caeli, and to be in a room with one's childhood hero was an ecstatic and nerve- wrecking experience. It can also be ideal shattering.  
  
"At ease, commander. Well, everyone has settled into their rooms so I thought I'd come and look around."  
  
"Come in," Van walked over to the side and lit a torch. "I'm afraid I'm not a very good host. You can just do what you like."  
  
"Whatever you say." Somehow, Allen had sensed the carelessness in Van's words.  
  
Van thumped onto the ground and began whetting his sword. Allen still stood at the door, examining him silently,  
  
Staring at the two monarchs, Orion felt it incumbent on him to make an ungainly cough. "Um…well, well…say, Van, weren't you planning to wrap Merle's present yourself, and maybe…write a card. Oh, and you haven't finished your philosophy books. So, why don't you go do that and I'll…maybe learn something about swords from King Allen, o-okay?"  
  
"Orion, I'd love to be your sparring partner." Allen responded casually, to Orion's relief.  
  
Van stared at them with empty eyes, then stood up and walked towards the door.  
  
"Van, about Selena…" Allen called from behind.  
  
"We'll talk about it tomorrow. Good night." He said without even looking back.  
  
. . . . . . .  
  
After seeing Allen's calm smile, blended so warmly into the golden cascade of his hair, Van wanted to shiver. In his memory was the heartrending image of Meifia Bridge in Palas, the hatred for which was culminated on that last day when Escaflowne and Scherazade thundered the battlefield. How can I not forgive someone who has helped me and even saved my life? He could not think of a reason why he still seemed to be paying for the mistake he made five years ago when he drew the sword in the forest, upon first meeting Allen – he should have heeded the warning. Having ignored it stubbornly, Allen did give him a world of hurt. Why? Allen is not made of the same stuff Dornkirk was, so why him? Ah of course, first it was Hitomi…had it not been for this shadow, fears about her spending a life with someone else would not plague him thus.  
  
Then there was Selena, thought Van as he sat down at his desk, gritting his teeth. For her, Allen would have killed him, and he could have died without ever hearing Hitomi say the words. For her, Allen became king so he could shape a new Asturia that can ensure the impossibility of her ever turning back into Dilandau. And now, for her, he had the temerity to fight the dragon once again.  
  
A plain wooden desk was set in front of the window next to which hung a wooden, charcoal shield, a persevering survivor of time. This somewhat oddly shaped object often inflicted reminiscenece of loving anecdotes. When still a child of four, Van had learned, from Folken, how to make wooden shields and weapons. This was the first product and was later used when his father played sword fighting with him. For Van, paternal warmth belonged to another lifetime, so filled with laughter and joy once that to have lost it to death also meant the dying of one part of life. Sitting with his hands behind his head, his body leaning backwards, he stared at the ceiling, wishing futilely that he could remember his father's voice, or arms, or eyes…  
  
Three soft knocks came from the door. Van promptly straightened up and opened a book. If whomever was out there earnestly believed the king to be in serious study, that person would hopefully go away – especially since it was already late.  
  
The thrice knocking came thrice. Knowing that it could not have been Orion or Nestor, Van vexingly said in a coarse, exhausted voice, "Come in."  
  
Flowing into the room like a silver stream set in the wooden sea of the hall, was none other than the Duchess of Palas, the one Asturian men called the paragon of beauty and purity – Selena Schezar.  
  
Suavely, she curtsied, her ivory dress wavering like her long satin hair, brushing away any petulant air. And her voice, that serenade of a voice, less charming than Allen's but more natural, flowed to Van like a straight line bedewed with crystals. "Your Majesty, sorry to disturb you at such a late hour."  
  
Van looked up at her through his long bangs. "You don't have to be so formal with me. Just my name is okay. Here, sit down."  
  
She daintily went over and pulled the chair away from the desk and sat very still, either with respect or fear.  
  
As any courteous host would do, Van put away his studies and sat quietly like a stone, waiting whatever news the messenger may bring. However, this message was unlikely to be of a political nature.  
  
The book that Selena held before her chest when she came in was then placed neatly on the desk. On its maroon cover was printed the title, Kurlaeo.  
  
"This is Dryden's book," she announced, "I guess you probably haven't had time to read it, but you really should – it's about you and Escaflowne."  
  
"So Nestor tells me," he responded flatly.  
  
""Well, it's quite marvellous, really. It tells people about how you valiantly saved Gaea, and how you flew…" upon this thought, she blushed a bit, for she secretly wished to see Van's wings – "immaculate" as her brother described.  
  
"Don't believe everything you read. I'm not such a hero."  
  
"Well," she paused a bit then continued with naughtiness. "I figured as such – you look like you could be blown away by the wind." She giggled coyly with one hand over her mouth.  
  
Van gave a half-real grin then looked away. Tension hovered over him like a beast breathing down his spine. Besides, he has no taste for elegance, and still worse, are attempts to be humorous when one is not. These were what Van saw in her, not because she was Allen's sister, not even because she was once Dilandau, a fiend whom he has nearly forgotten and would never associate with her. All of this was because of her ethereal appearance and her even more ethereal adoration for the most unconquerable of all men.  
  
He looked down at his own fingers, trying not to catch her diamond eyes. "So, Selena, what can I do for you?" he said this out of desperation for words, despite his uncomfortable suspicion of what she came here for.  
  
Fluttering her eyelashes nervously, she whispered, "Van?" and gazed at him until he looked up reluctantly.  
  
"Were you thinking about…Hitomi?"  
  
No one could ever enter his Empyrean without invitation; no one should ever trespass on what he considered to be the only reality. And Selena was certainly not one to utter her name.  
  
Even though she noticed the onset of what could be exasperation or rage, she charged on. "Van, you know and I know what the situation is. I cannot help it, I'm sorry." Tears nearly swelled out. "You love her, I know, and you need her, but don't you see that she is not here with you."  
  
The wrath of the dragon threatened to burst forth from his eyes. "No, you're the one who does not see – she is always with me…" the fire was cooled by a hell made out of ice.  
  
Seeing his sudden withdrawal into sadness, she hurt. And in order to find strength for both herself and him, she unthinkingly reached across the table and held his hand. Van paused for a moment in bewilderment then stole his hand back.  
  
At least I got to touch him a bit, she thought. Some incredible majesty breathed out from his large, rough hands, like ancient sculptures that could be entitled "strength and masculinity". Though scarred by the battles of his days she found the large knuckles, thick fingers, ample palms and young skin to represent heroism akin to godliness. So it was with the fiery faith of an innocent heroine that she consecrated her admiration for someone who was once her – no, Dilandau's, enemy.  
  
After her return home, disillusioned at having lost ten years of her life to a malicious role, she let herself fall freely into the caress of her brother and Millerna, who treated her like their own child. However, their company merely made her more sensitive to the love between them two, and naturally, the young maiden began to desire proximity with someone to call her own. Flamboyant and dashing suitors came and went. When they heaped precious riches and honey words at her feet, she merely told them that they should not sanctify her as a goddess.  
  
Wandering through the gardens and meadows, she often thought about her mother, about Jajuka, Folken and even Dilandau, whose agony at the thought of being alone had always been hers. Sometimes Allen would come and put an arm around her, and then she'd prance away, beckoning him to chase after her. Until that day when they all visited Fanelia during the reconstruction, she never knew what it was to hope, to desire, and to have nothing in life except these two universal forces.  
  
"Selena, can't you understand?" Van suddenly said with a lapse of tone. "You're harming yourself, not to mention your brother, me, and as you well know, Orion. Do you want Allen to declare war on me?" – she bent her head all the way down – "If you dislike having someone whom you don't love admiring you then you should know how I feel. Orion does not deserve this, none of us do. You're a wonderful girl, I mean it, and you're a good friend. But my heart is elsewhere. I can't love you like that and I can't marry you. Please stop this." His eyes became crystallized with pity and sorrow.  
  
Shaking her head, the tears flinging out, her bejewelled voice was broken. "Van, I'm not a little girl anymore, and I'm not Dilandau. You'll learn to love me, please!" She pushed the chair away and knelt down on the ground. "Everyone will be so happy, I promise. Our countries will be united and best of all, you will have an heir, a healthy, beautiful boy. I can give you all that. Think about it.'  
  
Witnessing his obstinate stillness, she nevertheless made the mistake of pushing forward. "Oh, stop it, Van. It's been five years, you should get over her. She's not coming back, she can't. Such a person is not worth…"  
  
"Get out!" The dragon towered up from his chair and pounded his hands on the desk that trembled with indignation.  
  
"Wha…"  
  
"Shut up and get out!" His blade-like finger pointed towards the unpromising dark forest behind the door.  
  
Whimpering, she scurried out, tripping over sobs and unsaid words. Her perfume drifted after her.  
  
Loathing the volcanic temperament of this fiasco and no longer able to hide in the solace of books, Van stomped towards Orion's room.  
  
. . . . . . .  
  
Down the hall from the king's quarters was a most peculiar room, with a green door and inside were murals of verdant plants. Along the walls were boxes upon boxes of oddities, like twisted metal, half-burnt books, twigs, and rocks all collected during the reconstruction. In the middle was a tall pile of old books and bricks forming a table, and next to it was the futon, on which Orion lay on his stomach, scribbling. He had always proudly proclaimed that one can build a world out of this "clustered storage room" as Merle called it.  
  
Storming monarchs was one of the things that startled the otherwise alert Orion. "Geez, don't you knock, dragon boy? You nearly scared my wits out!"  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Van as he lay his head down on the pillow.  
  
"Writing a letter to our dear feline friend. I'll tell her that you said hi."  
  
Pausing for a moment to listen to the scratching of Orion's pen, Van cautiously asked, "She's fond of you, you know?"  
  
"I know," he somewhat grieved at the thought. " But hey, who wouldn't be, me being the prince charming that I am." Another miserably failed jest. Orion swung himself up to the sitting position and crossed his legs. "But I suppose in the present situation, I'm not so charming."  
  
"Dot' say that," Van looked up at Orion and noticed, to his despair, that his friend's sapphire eyes appeared somewhat grey.  
  
"I thought I heard something. What happened?"  
  
"Nothing happened. It was just a continuation of all the endlessness that has no destination."  
  
"Why'd you yell at her?"  
  
"I'm so sorry, Orion." Van closed his eyes and pressed them into their sockets. "I just…got out of control when she mentioned her and then she had blatant disregard for your feelings or for anyone else's. I know that you care."  
  
"Don't fret about it. You know that I'd never turn on you for her. I like Selena, but you love Hitomi. That's a world of difference."  
  
"Perhaps." A moment of silence reigned. "You shouldn't ask for leave, you know? The heart has the right of way." Van turned on to his side, drew his knees up to his chest and rested in the position of a foetus in a womb, so tranquil at the dawn of life.  
  
Like Nestor, Orion had always wanted to learn what this ancient boy, who had lost everyone to the ebb and flow, really thought about love.  
  
Sitting there scrunching his short brunette locks, and contemplating Van's slender, hauntingly poetic body, Orion fathomed it. Van has a vision, one that the god of Love himself had given to him and Hitomi. It is the vision of Eternity. Taken in by the pinnacle of his apprehension, Orion let the possible images of such a vision invade his imagination. He himself would be standing at the edge of a cliff, seas of cloud beneath and before him. Then, an enchanting aria would flow from the bottom of the sea. Hearing the mournful tune, an angel with moulting wings flew down from above and dived into the gloomy vapours beneath. The observer wept helplessly on the cliff. Suddenly, streaks of gold pierced through the surface, the billows parted, trumpets flourished and, bursting forth with a parade of colours, was the seraph holding his love. Their wings glowed with perpetual light, their youth and beauty everlasting, and stars were scattered down from them as diamonds to deck the earth. Is Love the bursting of colours? Is it the creation of a new world? Orion would never know for himself. He only understood that it is greater than a kiss, a touch, and an idolization.  
  
He sighed and resolved, like the sky did, to be a defender of Love. "Fight, Van, you have to fight them. Don't' listen to what they say about heirs or peace. This is the war of your life; the Destiny War was just like a practice. This is the ultimate challenge. You can't retreat, nor should you charge on too aggressively. Remember her, remember Folken and your parents. Know that I will always stand by you. Please don't' lose it."  
  
Yes, listen to your friend, young one. Be strong. You have to be for what is to come.  
  
"I'm just so tired," Van's voice began to crack. Turning to the other side, he hid his head between his knees and clenched onto the burning pendant. "I can't, I just can't. I want to have her beside me, everyday. I now it's selfish, but neither of us can hold on for much longer. I'm so tired."  
  
Orion bent down and gently laid a hand on Van's violently shaking shoulders. "Maybe you should cry it out, it'll make you feel better. I have a feeling, Van, that you will be together once again. I'm not a prophet but I know what I feel. Just you wait and see. Get some sleep now." He blew out the candle and went outside, leaving Van amid the dark, painted trees.  
  
But he did not rest. He merely faded off into the unconscious.  
  
. . . . . . .  
  
Yukari girlishly threw dirt at Jason for jokingly giving her the accolade of "modern Medusa". They indulged in the senseless playfulness and danced on the firm ground underneath which no bones or relics would be sacrilegiously crushed.  
  
"And as for her…" Jason shouted but paused. There is no classical or modern parallel for Hitomi. Persephone perhaps, but more likely Psyche, one not born an Olympian but became one, through the union with Love. Within the marvellous tapestry that is she, are woven threads from a rich, mystical and far-off land. Jason thought that it is perhaps Atlantis where she always is. He wanted to make a joke about that right there, but refrained, knowing that no dreamer is full of more reality than Hitomi.  
  
After a brief break, Hitomi cracked her knuckles, stretched her back, and then resumed her dig at Akrotiri. Brushing the loose, brown earth with stoicism, she was lulled by the repetitious movement, so insignificant in itself yet vital to the quest for ancient secrets.  
  
Just before she felt like she could fall asleep, a glimmer shone onto her eyes, blinding her for a second before she could brush off the dirt. What was revealed was an exquisite piece of gold, in a crescent shape, probably broken off from a necklace or headpiece. This was not the first time Hitomi had unearthed anything by herself so there was no need to call for the others. She smiled and wanted to savour this discovery by herself first. Thus she reached down to touch the little piece of time immemorial.  
  
Just when the tip of her pale fingers came in contact with the gold, a deluge rained down on her. A dynamic rhythm swelled up from the ocean of Time and pulled her soul forward, transfiguring and plunging it into an ineffable gaudiness, until her mind contained nothing but the words, "No, please."  
  
Her soul entered a whirlpool, spinning and spinning away from the earth and humanity. An abrupt halt flung her forward. From where she knelt she looked up and saw a ring of stone giants…dancing.  
  
But, isn't this…Stonehenge?  
  
Standing peerless on the windswept plain, the colossal stones seemed to have formed the centre of the cosmos. Half-visible clocks were flying all around the granite, sandstone ring, saturnine in their graveyard hues.  
  
A being appeared and positioned itself in the middle of the ring. It was the august draconian she once saw standing in the middle of Atlantis. In his hand was a tablet, and written in strange a language that she miraculously understood, was the word "Avalantis".  
  
With the same mystery and dignity, he raised up the pendant towards the heavens. But this time, no new world was created. Instead, a dragon and a phoenix, all ablaze, descended and advanced towards Hitomi. Securing her in their claws, they soared up and then loosened the screaming girl.  
  
Thus she fell, wingless into the chasm below, hysterically praying for Van's hand to reach out to her.  
  
Then her spirit awoke in the body held safely by Yukari and Jason. The Mediterranean sun beat down on them. Their faces were twisted with anxiety, their mouths moving, but Hitomi heard nothing.  
  
Unnerved by that fantastical and turbulent flight, tears streamed down, tingling her cheeks. Until then, she has never cried out to him openly, out into the windless, cloudless welkin.  
  
~ End of Part II ~ 


	3. The Vision of Eros

Gaea Regained  
  
Hello readers! For those of you who have read this far, I really thank you, soooooooooo much;) It means a lot to me that you like what I have written so far. I also greatly appreciate the reviews I've received - you guys are the best. The story is getting more exciting now – I hope. It's hard to write with all this studying so please allow for confusions. I've included a postscript at the end of this chapter, to explain some references and points of interest – just in case you're curious. Please send me a message, and let me know how the story affects you. Happy flying!  
  
  
  
1 III. The Vision of Eros  
  
The visions fade before my sight,  
  
Which Fancy pictures in the waste of air  
  
Like lovely dreams ere morning's chilling light  
  
And sad realities alone are there.  
  
Ah, neither woe nor fear nor pain can tear  
  
Their image from the tablet of my soul…  
  
Percy Bysshe Shelley, "On Leaving London for Wales"  
  
1.1 Is there a home where heavy earth  
  
Melts to bright air that breathes no pain,  
  
Where water leaves no thirst again  
  
And springing fire is Love's new birth?  
  
If faith long bound to one true goal  
  
May there at length its hope beget,  
  
My soul that hour shall draw your soul  
  
For ever nearer yet.  
  
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, "Insomnia"  
  
Love is a matter of immensity and, sometimes, mystery. What is adoration can be seen as lust. What one calls truth may be the source of another's incredulity. All is a labyrinth for the pining soul, reaching after some promise that there is life, even in death. But there can be only one Eros. This is not a god of erotic fornication or shallow desires – this is the lover of Psyche the soul. When through the oceanic depths of emotions all hearts have gone, only a few will attain Love, over which Eros and all his amorous spirits preside. Whence such Love beacons, the sun, moon, stars will rise each day and night. This Love encompasses the bond between families, friends and lovers, their hearts forever mingled in a world with no horizon, a world where heaven and earth are intertwined. No one can say for certain why some loves are perishable with time and body, while a few are eternal. Call it Fate or Destiny, but call it a god first.  
  
……….  
  
Hearing her frantic scream, he bolted upright on his bed, and hyperventilated until he rubbed his own shoulders to calm himself down. A torrent of menacing images stung his mind as he felt an intangible object slowly enter his chest. Could she be…no, no, she is still there. But the reason for her horror could not be conceived, and only an imminent reunion will do. He must go to the dell at once.  
  
The trees on the walls seemed garish in the summer morning, and the light paralysed his senses. Trying to refresh himself from the grogginess, he speedily went to the washing basin.  
  
Nestor crept up from behind, stealthily, fearing that this might be one of the king's bad days. "Your Majesty,"  
  
The razor sliced a little of Van's chin. "You startled me," he heaved crossly. "Well, what is it? It's early, you know."  
  
"Actually, Milord, it's already time for breakfast. King Allen and Duchess Selena are waiting for you in the morning room. He has urgent business to discuss and bids you go at once."  
  
"Tell him I'm busy. I have some place to visit. We can talk about it tomorrow."  
  
"But…but," the role of messenger required him to continue, "His Majesty says this business is the reason he came to Fanelia. And, besides, he has to return to Palas soon."  
  
Slamming the razor into the sink, he turned and shouted, "Tell him…" but he stopped. Nestor's troubled eyes reminded him that the world was already too full of worries. "Never mind. I'll go tell him myself. Wait for me outside."  
  
What he turned back to concentrate on in the mirror was not his face, but the speck of blood on his chin, wet and crimson, dripping down to mix with the limpid waters beneath.  
  
……….  
  
Selena stood at the end of the long table, giggling at the ridiculous sight of Orion gulping down a plateful of food.  
  
"My dear commander, how is it that you manage to stay so slender despite your overloaded diet?"  
  
He mumbled something through his food, and then realizing she can't comprehend, swallowed first before replying, "I have the gift of beauty. Like you, princess." Her laughter was enough to inspire a lifetime of dreams. He would never mind appearing clownish in her eyes – at least then he will have an identity distinguishable from Van's.  
  
Allen stood pensively by the window, folding and refolding his white gloves. When Van strutted in and sat down at the head of the table, he quit his contemplation and stood opposite him.  
  
"Well?" said Van with intended curtness.  
  
Nestor waved away the servant and followed them outside, closing the doors behind him. Orion set down his cutlery and Selena stood clenching her fists.  
  
"You know I have to return to Palas soon. I can't leave Millerna all by herself. So, we are going to settle this matter."  
  
"There's nothing to settle! I've made myself clear enough," Van interrupted and crossed his arms in annoyance.  
  
"Van," Allen stepped forward, "Don't be so stubborn. It might as well be Selena than any other princesses or duchesses in Gaea."  
  
"Brother, don't!"  
  
"Selena, let me speak!" He signalled for her to step back. "Someone has to give you an heir. If it's not Selena it will be someone else!"  
  
"Yes, and that someone else will be Hitomi!" He let the sharp tip of the pendant prick into his palm.  
  
"Stop it! The war has long been over and her purpose here is done. It's been five years and she's not coming back. I miss her too, you know, but I've learned to move pass that. You should too. She might as well be dead to you!"  
  
"What…what did you just say?" Van murmured as he rose from his chair slowly and steadily. Orion noticed how the autumn of his eyes turned into a bleak winter. "Did you just say that she might as well be …dead?" Allen looked down after realizing the harshness of his own words. "Well, let me tell you something, Allen Schezar, she will never be dead to me. You hear? Never!"  
  
"You needn't raise your voice and point your finger," Allen was beginning to lose his usual calm. "I see you're still the defiant and unreasonable little boy I met five years ago. Look, I don't know what communication you still have with her…"  
  
"That's none of your business!" Van snarled through his gritted teeth.  
  
"Stop cutting me off, Van Fanel!" Allen retaliated  
  
"Then you stop speaking to me in that tone! And how dare you call me unreasonable!" His chest began to heave violently.  
  
"Fine, now calm down. Selena loves you, why can't you just return that felling? You're holding on to a dream, Van. Think about your people – what will happen to them if you ruin yourself like this?"  
  
Van slammed his hands on the table, and all the plates clattered as if in terror. The pendant blazed, desperately imploring all the spirits to come and defend Love.  
  
Orion stood up and walked closer to the two colliding mountains. "Van – breathe. King Allen, maybe you shouldn't…"  
  
"Stay out of this!" Allen nearly pushed Orion away. "I will speak. Van, you are a king, but also a mortal. When you die, Fanelia will need a new leader. Besides, our countries will be united through marriage."  
  
Van stared blankly pass his opponent, then shut his eyes in pain, and leaned forward against the table. Clench your fist and you will grasp nothing. Open hands receive the willing world – he remembered the old proverb and repeated it over and over in his mind, his body slightly rocking back and forth with the rhythm  
  
Allen nervously ran his fingers through his golden hair. "I'm sorry. Look, I'm only trying to do what is best for Selena and you."  
  
"What is best?" Van chuckled incredulously. "You think robbing me of my soul is good for me?"  
  
"Van, she is not your soul."  
  
"No, she," he pointed at Selena, "is not! Truth, goodness…" He tried to swallow the agony and continued in a torn voice. "All…all forbid that I should ever let go of her whose love is above the price of kingdoms." Selena began to weep.  
  
"Are you saying that you will abandon your country, your world, for youthful adoration?" Allen hazarded.  
  
"Shut up, Allen! How could you think it's only adoration? And don't you bring up the issue about an heir. I know very well that I will die one day, but that's a long time from now. And until then, I'm still the Triumvir, and you have no right to question what I do or don't do with my personal life!" In the face of grave adversity, the ever-humble Van resorted to titles, which he always held to be nothing but painted straws. He has lost it; the dragons are drawn.  
  
"Are you pulling ranks on me? Don't you dare, Van Fanel!"  
  
"Stop it!" The girl cried out in anguish too unfair for someone so kind and beautiful. "Stop it, both of you. Why are you fighting? Don't do it for me, I don't want you to. Brother, I think you should leave. Van, after hearing what you've said all this time, I finally understand now. I will give up my silly pursuit. Your love is so deep that I don't stand a chance. I should defend it instead and give up my unfruitful desire."  
  
"No, Selena!" Allen shook her by the shoulders. "Don't let him do this to you."  
  
"Selena," such gentleness in Van's voice made her want to die. "I…I'm sorry." Hesitating for a second in thought, his tone suddenly sharpened into fury. "You shouldn't so pretentiously say you understand when you really don't. If this is some trick you Schezars are playing then you both can get out!"  
  
"But Van, I…"she whimpered, which only fuelled his rage.  
  
"What! How could you think that Selena is pretentious?"  
  
"I know what you're after! You want Fanelia, don't you? Is that why you want me to marry her?" By now, his hand was already gripping the hilt of his sword. Orion had always known Van to be capable of out-staring the lightning, and out roaring the thunder.  
  
Then, the two of them began to shout simultaneously, demons of hatred and fear bound them in a Gordian knot that they either did not know how to untie or did not want to. The two men unsheathed their swords. Selena yelled, until Nestor burst into the room, and knelt down before the scene, praying like a frightened child.  
  
Standing outside looking in, Orion was bent on ending this paroxysm. He stepped forward next to his inflamed friend, raised his fist and with a yell, punched Van down into the chair.  
  
Nothing was heard except the clanking of steel against the ground. His nose bled the colour of life and death, its brackish taste stinging his tongue. A few drops fell, indistinguishable among the redness of his shirt.  
  
"I did it for Folken and Hitomi." Orion whispered wretchedly. "They can't be here to hit you, so I did. You've forgotten, Van, you forgot what they taught you about conflicts."  
  
The titanism of this act and of the entire morning, wrung out the last of Van's strength. The clamour and tantrum were executed. The room died into stagnant bewilderment.  
  
None of them could recall how long they all paused thus. Orion did later tell Merle that they remained standing even after they watched Van embark, with heavy looks and steps, on his journey to the top of Olympus.  
  
……….  
  
That day, the cerulean sky allowed a faint showing of the Mystic Moon, hanging solitary within the vast domain of the universe. He closed his eyes and they came to each other again. He found himself inhaling afresh air, standing on a road painted with white and yellow lines. He has returned. Through the heat waves that blurred the colours all around, he spied a distant figure dashing across grounds of a burnt sienna hue. The hair, the muscles tense and quivering, the trail of wind behind – she, it is she. "Hitomi," he whispered under his breath, fearing that a louder announcement would chase away the dream.  
  
He ran, every muscle in his body invigorated, ready to plunge at her and lock her in his arms forever. All the running in life amounted to this one goal.  
  
She had not expected the sudden warmth pressed against her back, the comforting arms embracing her. This had been a dream about running, and nothing but running, or so she thought. There was no gasp but a quiet question "Van?" followed by an abrupt turn and a deep immersing into him.  
  
"Oh Van, I knew you'd come, I called you."  
  
His trembling fingers caressed her hair. "You know, I think we dream about each other so we don't have to be apart so long." Suddenly, he felt warm tears against his chest.  
  
"I saw it, Van, I had a vision. I didn't want to. They're supposed to be over. What do I do?"  
  
Taking her by the hand, he led her down to where there was grass and listened attentively to her anxious explanation of the horrendous and mysterious vision.  
  
When she rounded off the last note, they sat in an unusual silence, gazing at each occasionally, or stroking each other's arm. Just when Van was about to express his thoughts, an effulgent pillar shot down from the sky, and hurled them upwards in its throbbing light.  
  
With incredible speed, faster than either of them could think or feel, they were flung out of the blue tunnel, at the end of which was neither ground nor scenery. Holding each other, they fell into the darkness until Van sprouted his expansive wings, shining like two white suns in the unknown space.  
  
There was no clue as to whether this was a room or not. All around was stygian black, yet they were visible to themselves and to each other.  
  
"Where do you suppose we are, Van?"  
  
"I really don't know. This doesn't feel like Gaea or the Mystic Moon. But don't worry, we'll find a way out." He enfolded her tighter.  
  
"Look!" With widening eyes, Hitomi pointed to a distant dot that appeared out of the dark and seemed to be approaching them steadily.  
  
To their amazement and fear, the bright spot was not a star, but a stellar being, encircled in blinding light, with no distinguishable face but a glowing frame. Hitomi speculated that this was the Atlantean from her vision.  
  
In a reassuring voice that resounded all around the galaxy, the tall creature spoke. "Be not afeard, young ones, I will not harm you. This is not a dream. I have come to open the door for you, as it is the will of your true selves and of the Universe."  
  
"Are you the one from my vision…Avalantis?" Hitomi asked timidly.  
  
"I am a Numen. I have watched over you for quite a while my children, and now it is Time. You will soon face grave tribulation," – Van repositioned his hand slightly so he could reach his sword – "There is no need for that, young king. Trust me. All this is for the best. You must try to understand. Be brave."  
  
With celestial majesty, the Numen opened his arms. An unseen and inhuman force came between Van and Hitomi. An image of the Empyrean flashed across both of their minds. But before Van could re-strengthen his grip on her, the force expanded in circumference and pushed them apart. Hitomi reached out desperately, hoping some more benign being will bear her into his arms again. Van beat his wings madly but something pinned him to the spot that he could not struggle out of even with utmost violence. The last thing he saw before his eyes were forced shut was the sight of Hitomi diminishing into the dark, carried by the Numen.  
  
Van awoke to evening's chilling wind and to Orion's incessant calling at a distance. His heart was in a tumult, so riotous because it could no longer feel any trace of her. He was haunted by the grotesque conceit that the separation in the dream means that such reveries will never come again, that she is gone forever. Ineffable anguish spun webs around him, teasing out the suggestion that he, survivor of a blood-soaked war, has finally gone mad. Cold sweat dampened his wild strands. The gordian complexity of that one thought locked him to the ground, where he lay pining and pinging until the drowsiness closed down on that last vivid embrace. For a brief moment of eternity, he was convinced that the world was formed by feathers plucked from an angel's wings.  
  
Prayer was for him a mystic communion with the holy, not a means to bargain for what he wanted. But in the face of bereavement, he prostrated. With the last drop of might in him he yelled, from the bottom of his soul, "Hitomi!"  
  
Following the direction of the yell, Orion found the unconscious and half- dead Van, embedded in the murky grounds of the dell. Orion loaded the limp body onto his back and laboured step by step towards the palace.  
  
All the healers in Fanelia were summoned, as was Merle, who hastened from the school with tearful eyes, fearing that her one nightmare has come true. Allen sat in the hall brooding, perhaps regretful of the morning's occurrences, and willing to stay and help lest Fanelia be in need. Selena knelt outside the room, with a stream of tears, and prayed relentlessly to whatever gods were out there. So long as he is safe, she would magnanimously give up any chance of being with him. Orion paced all around, occasionally joined by Merle, who clutched his arm and chanted with him, "Van will not die, Van will not die." For them, a world without Van would be like the universe without the sun.  
  
Nestor, with red, swollen eyes, brought messages from the other court personnel, expressing their grief and anxiety. He offered for a meal to be prepared, but they all went to sleep that night in the waiting room, with nothing but pain in their stomachs. Neither the impending doom nor the serendipitous relief came. The doctors sighed, "Wait and see."  
  
Fanelia became clouded with sombre heaviness, and the whole of Gaea took on a mourning gown. Each day, the healers tended to the motionless yet living body. For every meal, Merle would push liquid food down a tube into Van's throat, and Selena would join her in holding his hand and singing melodies until the Mystic Moon climbed to the zenith. Before sleep, Orion would clean Van's body with a wet cloth, and he would be horrified that no matter how hard he pushed the corpse-like body, no muscle or nerve would react.  
  
Allen went back to Palas for a while and returned with Millerna, who issued more herbs and formulas. But not even magical incantations would bring more than a twitch of the eyelids, which the faithful friends took to be a sign that he was probably just dreaming and did not want to wake up.  
  
……….  
  
"Rise and shine, sleepy head," a voice that resembled the deep yet calm rippling of the pond washed away Van's dreamless dormancy.  
  
Never has opening eyes or lifting an arm been such challenging and aching movements, as if the body disobeyed the mind's command to receive the light of day. Van concentrated as intensely as when he first tried to move Escaflowne – merely by picturing one simple twist of the finger. Terrible exhaustion pulled him back down into the comforts of the bed.  
  
"Come on. Look, your little dragon friend is here!" the voice let out a ridiculous growl, mimicking an animal, as one would do to entertain a child.  
  
Out of curiosity to affirm his speculation that the clownish voice must be Orion's, Van forced his eyes open and saw a green, stuffed dragon right before his face, being jolted around and the little growl continued, much to Van's displeasure. Suddenly remembering what has happened with Hitomi, Van disregarded all grogginess and focused all his energy on his right arm with which he swiped the doll away.  
  
The face which appeared before him…No, it cannot be, it's impossible. I must be dreaming.  
  
"What's the matter, Van? Did you have a nightmare?"  
  
In times of mystery and shock, Van usually closes his eyes for a second before re-opening them with refreshed perception and logic. But mind is of no use for this. No amount of reflection could possibly explain why this fantastic current state did not feel like a dream. He simply gaped and unblinkingly scrutinized the greyish green hair and brown eyes of the person sitting next to him. "Br-brother?"  
  
At the sound of his own voice, Van wanted to scream, "What is going on!" but was unreasonably afraid of hearing himself again. Instead of the resonant and steady tone of a young man, what came out of him was the acute and innocent voice of a child.  
  
"Hey, it's okay," Folken pulled Van onto his lap. "It's only a nightmare. All you need is a nice breakfast. Mother and father are waiting for you in the morning room. Come on, it's just a dream."  
  
Without having to look down at his own shrunken body, Van began to feel small, invariably weak and vulnerable. He wanted to yell and kick like a child in tantrum, to beat Folken on the chest and demand to know why he ever left Fanelia, left life. The quivering in his soul became more and more convulsive until he was unable to contain himself, and finally collapsed into his brother's arms.  
  
"It was hell, brother," he needed to say it, he wanted to, no matter how uncomfortable the voice was. "So terrible. I dreamt that you, mother, father and Balgus all died, then Fanelia burned to the ground and I had to fight in a war. Then this girl…Hitomi, she was gone as well. I was so scared." He clutched Folken with a dying man's grip, his tearful eyes hurting.  
  
"It is horrible, I know," Folken smoothed over Van's hair and kissed him on the forehead tenderly. "But it's not real, it's all over now. I promise you'll have a good day today, I promise. Now come on, get on my back." Before being able to organize a debate between dream and reality, Van found himself being carried down the familiar hallways, with Folken whistling a happier version of the folk song that echoed in the chamber of sacrificed love and sacrificed life.  
  
Beneath the rosy veil of morn that flew in through the windows, King Goau and Queen Varie seemed ancient gods to their little son who gazed in breathless awe of immortality. Balgus stood stout and peerless, guarding the holy gates of Love.  
  
"Mother, Van just had a nightmare," Folken reported as he set his brother gently on the soft ground.  
  
The ethereal queen bent down and opened her arms wide. "Come, my darling, it'll be alright." Her voice rung like that of a seraph who forbids one to battle with one's own soul, and her hair seemed a heavenly river that flowed down to irrigate earth and humanity with everlasting beauty.  
  
Without any reserve, Van ran – as he had dreamed of for the past fifteen years – into his mother's arms. "Oh my son, nothing can harm you now." Van immersed into her and breathed in her serenity. All earthly pangs were dissipated and he became fully receptive to the state of Heaven.  
  
"Van," a strong hand was placed on his head. "You are my brave little prince, no trial will ever be too hard for you to bear." Looking up, Van saw the rough but ever-loving face of his father. This time, he consciously memorized his father's characteristic features, his sonorous voice and the Atlantean arms with which he embraced him.  
  
"We will always be here for you." Folken walked over and joined the reunion sanctified by some force that stands omnipotent and omniscient beyond life and death.  
  
Van's lean limbs, seared by an autumnal existence of strange sufferings, were pressed securely against his family. Life, recently fled, still left traces of lustre burning in his dark eyes that alone examined the dead and eternal all around him.  
  
I must have died, he thought cautiously. I was finally defeated by loss. Perhaps it is never about death, perhaps existence is always about life, and always real, as real as this is far from a fantasy-vision. If there are two births, one of life and one of death, then why should humans fear one and not the other? The birth into death may be just as unconscious and laborious as that into life. Hell is but that fear, produced subjectively by a diseased mind, which fatally believes that the living life is the only breathing reality. Van was now in the realm created by the transcendent Anima. He wanted to shout, "I live!" loud enough so that Hitomi can hear him. But there is no cause to worry about her now. She is not among the blind and lethargic who can never realize Love. She will one day come to this place which he has found for them, a place where no outsiders, no Fate, no distance or Time may separate them. I wait for you, right here, always.  
  
During breakfast, the veil, which endowed everything with a dream-like quality, was lifted, and the day proceeded realistically, normally. Yet it was this ordinariness of family life that struck Van as the most sublime. What a simple peasant may enjoy each day with his family was for Van the most cherished treasure, only begotten after a lifetime of separation, hatred, anguish and war.  
  
Goau and Varie sat on either head of the long dining table, with Balgus on the king's left side, Folken and Van on the right. Soup was served, and Van was exhilarated to find that he still remembered the taste. During the bread and fruit, his father and Balgus began to discuss military matters, including Escaflowne. For reasons elusive but insignificant to Van, the word "Escaflowne" became somehow vague, but he forgot to pay attention to it after a while and instead concentrated on trying not to spill any food outside the plate. His mother had to patiently wipe his mouth, straighten his napkin, clean his hands, and Folken was responsible for getting him food on the far end of the table. By the time he returned to "Escaflowne", it echoed like some antenatal dream that he faintly felt in the depths of the subconscious. He frowned for a second in confusion but his mind was quickly switched to the desire of going outside and playing in the sun with his brother.  
  
After a relaxed and airy morning, the king and Balgus hurried off to adult business, and the day was officially commenced. Little Van was reluctantly carried by his mother to the bathroom where he babbled endlessly about the games he planned to carry out for the day. He sucked his thumb juicily even when his mother forbade it. He yelled, "Ouch!" when she brushed his tangled, scattered hair. He argued defiantly when she suggested that he should study instead of play. Eventually, Varie smiled warmly at her son's passion for the sun and the grass, so allowed him to roam like a free spirit.  
  
Filling the tranquil garden with excited calls of "Brother!" Van found Folken reading beneath a bough, and he immediately dived into his lap and clenched his small fists in favour of hide-and-seek. Upon his brother's consent, he flitted like a butterfly into the bushes, and hid with one hand over his mouth to conceal the giggles. After counting to twenty, Folken ran around the garden and tickled the little boy he found hidden in the bush.  
  
The exuberant display of youthful energy occurred for numerous times until Van found a secret hole, which, he was convinced, his smart brother would never find. It was inside a tree bark, entered only after a crawl in the undergrowth. Carpeted with green moss and leaves, the hole provided a comfortable bower for the tired child, who cuddled into the foetal position and faded into a distant realm. As Folken came looking for him, their mother called him back into the castle for some household errands. Standing mid-way, indecisive about whom to go to first, he eventually looked beyond the bushes and smiled gently, "I'll be back for you, kid." As he ran back to his mother, he whistled that ancient cradle song, like rich, vibrating air wrapped within a bubble of light that floated across the boundaries between being and non-being.  
  
Into Van's slumbering mind it glided, drowning out the susurrus of the leaves and flooding into his subconscious that received it lovingly. With each exhale, a gauzy and iridescent substance was effused from Van. Every inch of ground that the substance covered or passed over gradually metamorphosed into something slightly different but essentially the same. The outpour expanded softly, from the garden to the whole of Fanelia, to Gaea, to the universe. It unfurled its splendour like how the angel cast his healing wings over the wounded world. As the expansion increased in circumference, Van's being became more tremulous, as if it was forced to experience several existences simultaneously. Nevertheless, he managed to breathe tenderly, ready to receive whatever existence the substance has transported him to.  
  
……….  
  
"Van? Van? Are you okay?" An echoing voice, that of a young man, became more and more clear and up close, until the anxiety it expressed was projected onto a shaking of Van's shoulders.  
  
Brother? Van felt inexplicably unstable. One second he had strength to do anything, the next second he felt ready to plunge to the ground. At length, he maintained balance and opened his eyes to vast blurriness. He looked down at his own hands that were holding a bow and an arrow. Wasn't I just sleeping inside the tree? Looking straight in front of him, he spied the figure of a man, an archer, facing him.  
  
Thinking it must be Folken, Van opened his mouth eagerly. "Brother, what…" but he paused. A brittle, hoarse voice vibrated from him. The child was gone. He stopped breathing and blinked rapidly to regain vision.  
  
Orion gazed wide-eyed in perplexity and distress. "Van, if you don't want to practice archery any more, just say so, it's not like I'd get mad." Pain and terror swelled to the brink of Van's eyes. "Whoa, don't look at me like that, it's scary. Here, you need to lie down." Just as Orion was setting down his equipment and reaching over to help, Van suddenly knelt on the ground and hyperventilated convulsively to recapture the oxygen he had lost for the past minute.  
  
Looking up with the eyes of one who had just seen death, Van grabbed Orion. "I died, didn't I? You found me by the tombs. Then it killed me, right?" His imploring expression evoked unbearable sympathy.  
  
Before Orion's gaping mouth could create any recognizable word, Merle, who had sensed the stirring of an unusual emotion, hurried to provide a trembling embrace. "Lord Van, don't scare me like this! Stop talking about death!"  
  
He turned to her abruptly. "Tell me, Merle, what happened after Orion brought me back from the dell?"  
  
"What do you mean?" she cried. "You act as if you remember nothing! You never died, Lord Van. You woke up and you've been fine for nearly a colour. What's happening now?"  
  
Van pushed them both away and began to pace around in an unhinged state, so unexpected from a generally taciturn boy. "No, you're lying! I was in Heaven, yes…yes, I saw father, mother, brother and Balgus. Hitomi!" he suddenly shouted at the sky then stared intently at the ground again. "Hitomi…yes, she was taken away…no, I was waiting for her there. Brother was playing with me, then I…I hid in the hole, so how did I…"  
  
He became stone on the spot, counting the hammering pulses of blood in his temples. Orion and Merle melted in terrible sadness upon seeing their friend so completely torn beyond…beyond what language can describe, mind can imagine. It was as if the vault of Van's psyche collapsed in on itself. Unlike others, they have always known Van to be a human, a gentle boy, unjustly coerced by tradition, chance and evil to lead a life of a thousand little deaths. Yet such agony and fragility seemed somehow beyond human capability, and made even more paramount the glories that this young soul has achieved. The reason for Van's mad outpour remained ineffable and need not be unravelled or even imagined. They just knew that he lacked, poorly lacked, and tragically needed.  
  
Noticing the inappropriateness of their inaction, they rushed over to support the falling Van. With Orion on his right and Merle on his left, they guided him to his room. Not a word, a gesture, just Merle's muffled sobbing. They lay him on the bed and she cuddled up next to his catatonic body.  
  
Orion stormed out. There was a word for this, for all the strange events of today, of yesterday, of their entire lives. Orion searched for this word as he climbed onto the roof. It must be "pandemonium" – an infernal, tempestuous sea of fire, surging up and overturning the earth, scorching all life turbulently. "There are no gods", he hazarded to declare. There is only the Devil. All his life, he asked nothing but the one question: "Why?" He knew that Van, Hitomi, Merle, Folken, Allen, Selena and even Dornkirk, had pleaded for the answer to this soul-wrenching and hateful question. Why do sad things happen? Why can't our dreams come true? Why? He wanted to scream it out at the sky and openly defy the distant and icy deities who sit mocking mankind. He refrained, however, knowing that his anger would only fuel the chaos, the torturous, blind, menacing chaos. Orion had never really cried – he sometimes took pride in this – not even when he found out from his childhood guardian, the deceased hunter Centurus, that his birth mother was a prostitute who abandoned her bastard baby boy to the hungry dragons. He wanted to cry after seeing Van this way, he wanted to but he could not and did not. He believed that tears obscure vision, and if Van was too hurt and too weak to see then someone has to be his eyes. Orion's sole purpose here was to provide Van with visions and he knew that there is always Hope, not slim but full like the Mystic Moon. Whatever tidal wave is to come, the reason and the truth will be fathomed someday. One must always smile at tragedy.  
  
……….  
  
Van scrutinized a water stain on the ceiling until meaning on the tablet of his mind shone like the sun. It looked like the crest of Fanelia, with the glaring head of the dragon. He remembered what his parents had just told him about always being here for him, about how he is the brave little prince. What was so can never be again.  
  
"Merle, I'm sorry I scared you like that," he suddenly said, lethargically.  
  
"Oh, Lord Van," she held him tightly, "Please don't do it again. I'm just glad you're alright."  
  
"I can feel it, you know?"  
  
"Feel what?"  
  
"The thinness. It's becoming more stretched and gauzy by the minute. The thinness of Time." Upon announcing this, he felt the fluids in his body stir in a peculiar circulation, like the diffusion of ripples in a tranquil pond.  
  
"What does it mean, Lord Van?"  
  
"I'm not too sure." He closed his eyes and focused on the pumping of Merle's heart against his side. All he wanted for now was rest, a dreamless, insubstantial peace that retreats into the vacant caverns of things which have not yet come to pass.  
  
……….  
  
"The stirring in the heart of hearts is the most mystic and profound movement in life. We are born into the vast world incomplete and bereft of the crowning moment of Love, our souls yearn for that pinnacle in time when …" at this point, the young prince stopped writing. Unsaid and unutterable words choked his throat. In fury and shame, he madly tore up the sheet, flung the pieces upwards and then watched, amusedly, the airy snow-like dance of the paper spirit.  
  
The one grey cloud in his unusually blessed, royal life had been the lack of glory. He shall never live up to his father's greatness, he lamented. When will he be the philosophic ruler to whom everyone turned? When shall he experience perilous and chivalric adventures that thunder the earth like the bursting of fiery lava? When can he hold the Love that awakens the Anima to the union of all things in the cosmos? His parents were fifteen when they first met – he calculated he had but five years before he reaches that point, and in naïve obstinacy, he was convinced that if he does not find his love at fifteen he shall never have eternity. For him, nothing ever bled. Therefore, in the idealistic and luminous ring of his existence, he sighed because of the longing, which passed on his chest like tears that could not be wept.  
  
It was not that Valorick thought of kingship or adulthood as ever glorious – he understood it to be a journey. He would never dare question the unfaltering spirit with which his father traversed the uncharted terrains of life and death. Yet it is never just about living or dying, but attaining balance and acting justly, wisely. For these reasons, he thought of living gloriously as creating a piece of art, constantly forming, toning, shading and being expected to catch Pegasus without unfurling any wings.  
  
"Val!" his sister's lark-like voice pierced his solitude and despite exasperation, he trudged to her room down the hall. "Yes, my princess Hermione?" he asked sardonically.  
  
"Look!" the wet-cheeked little girl stood at the doorway and pointed inside. "I don't know what's wrong with Daddy. Maybe he's mad at me. He was just telling me the story but he stopped suddenly and became like this."  
  
Prince Valorick gingerly turned into the room and saw, to his dismay, his father staring in bewilderment more intense than his own. Such an unnatural expression on the king's face was unprecedented and unaccounted for. "Dad, what is the matter? Are you not feeling well?"  
  
Van examined the boy tentatively and tried to order reason and logic into this tempestuous sea. With the occurrences of the past few days, nothing can be daunting anymore. But this was definitely peculiar and curious. One minute he was resting with Merle, the next he awoke to a vivacious little girl who sat on his lap, clamouring to hear the story of Escaflowne. He had sensed something vaguely familiar about her but before he could observe further, he had run out to call this boy, Val.  
  
"Are you still mad at me about the journal, father? I'm sorry; I didn't mean to read it. I just thought the poem was really good." Van's brows met in perplexity. "Hermione, go get Mom." Upon her brother's stern command, the girl nodded eagerly and ran off.  
  
In silence and stillness, Van thought he was looking into a mirror. The image on the other side was smaller, the black hair was shorter, but everything was undoubtedly from the same mould. He wanted to laugh at the speculation that he had a little brother he never knew. Yet, the eyes, the emerald eyes, were different from his own, they were oceanic and mesmerizing, much like…his soul gasped at the thought and instinctively, he yelled, "Orion!"  
  
"Dad, uncle Orion and the family have gone to Palas for a visit, remember? If you want, I can send for a messenger."  
  
Van shook his head with a lapse of focus and quickly straightened his back, re-strengthening his grip on the chair's arms. He faded into a locus of notthereness and began to meditate on the nature of reality. Can things exist only when there is someone to look at them? Pains, joy, the wind, gravity all exist even though one cannot see them – they are felt. So why can't creations of the mind be as real as objective things? What is objective reality? Who is the judge of objectivity? Can Love, Wisdom and Truth exist in tangible forms? Such is the ineluctable absolute of the unfathomable. He had no answers, only a feeling – a sense that the veneer of Time has ceased to be thin. It has snapped.  
  
"Mom is here." Van's mind was summoned back by the boy's announcement.  
  
Never in his life has Van known serendipity, only terrifying consternation. But this was beyond wonder. The figure who walked in and stood before him glowed in his eyes and his soul flew above the reaches of divine joy. He stood as in a dream and disbelieved, not her, but his own fate.  
  
"Van, what is the matter?" she inquired with a smile so thoughtful that it inspired potential answers to the universal mysteries. As if drunken with ecstasy, Van rushed to her side, knelt down and held her by the waist, his eyelashes trembling against her white, gossamer gown. "Hit-Hitomi, I missed you…so much."  
  
"Van!" she laughed and patted his head. "That's ridiculous! You see me so much that I was afraid you'd be sick of me. Come on, get up before we confirm you to be insane." He clung onto her with even more passion. "Oh, you silly boy! It's as if you're afraid of nightmares like a child. Whatever possessed you to be so weird? Come on, you're scaring the kids." Her words, drifting out of the deep, were eddying about him in this far-off realm and they came like truant whiffs of aroma from enchanted vales.  
  
The little girl, Hermione, approached softly and put her tiny hands on Van's broad shoulders. "Daddy, it's okay. All you need is sleep. I always feel better in the morning!" Van turned around and smiled lightly at her, noticing that her brown eyes look rather like his own.  
  
"Okay, time for bed!" Hitomi announced brightly. "Van, I'm really tired, can you tuck them in?" Still lost in the haziness of impossible bliss, Van nodded unknowingly. Hitomi kissed the children goodnight and headed off, leaving Van standing sheepishly. He ventured to conclude that these will be his children, and more confusingly – and rapturously, he admitted with embarrassment – his children with Hitomi. The idea of him being a father was unsettling and laughable. Since he could remember his own father only nebulously, he had no definitive model of paternal behaviour. Out of desperation to end the freezing moment of awkwardness, he bent down and opened his arms. Hermione immediately leapt on and began to chatter spiritedly.  
  
Not knowing where their rooms would be, Van gestured for Val to lead, and he followed nervously with a five-year-old in his arms. Holding someone so precious and fragile made him feel it was incumbent on him to be stronger, more like a true king who is not languished by loss and pain.  
  
After Hermione was tucked in bed, Van leaned down clumsily and kissed her on the forehead, blushing as he stood up. He went outside and saw Val standing in the hall.  
  
"You don't have to tuck me in, Dad, I'm old enough now."  
  
"Oh," a sense of disappointment arose in Van. "Okay, then I'll walk you to your room."  
  
"It's right here."  
  
"Oh, right, of course."  
  
"By the way, Father, I'm sorry about reading the poem in your notebook. I swear I'll never be sneaky again. It's really beautiful though." The boy's reassuring and peaceful smile reminded him of Folken's.  
  
"It's fine…I guess. But I don't really write poetry," Van responded confusedly.  
  
"Well, you should. Goodnight, then." As Val turned to leave, Van stopped him. "Wait, I…"  
  
"Yes, Dad?"  
  
From an unfamiliar cavern in his heart, Van wanted to ask one question, the one he secretly wished his own father had asked him. "Am I," he said hesitantly, "a good father?"  
  
Val paused a second in shock then his face relaxed into that quiet, innocent grin. "Dad, surely you don't have to ask such a question. I hope that with all the respect and love we show you, you would know that you're the best father in the whole wide world. And not only are you our father, you're Gaea's." With that, Val approached Van and hugged him. In an instant, Van comprehended his own parents' protectiveness and care. For the first time ever, he felt it safe to declare that he is happy, happy in the embrace of his radiant child. He too, had created life.  
  
……….  
  
The palace hallway fell into silence after Val had gone to bed. In veneration of the holy peace, Van tiptoed back to his room, which he assumed to be in the same place where it always was. As he approached the door, his heart began to race riotously and his face shaded to scarlet. She must be in there, he thought, half with anxiety, half with child-like thrill. Thinking that a knock on the door would not only disturb the stillness but would also create suspicion on his part, he opened the door silently and crept in.  
  
Hitomi lay softly asleep on a large, bed, one he has never seen before, except in Palas. Her body, cloaked in a shimmering white dress, was curved like a breeze-swept wave on a summer's day. She was turned towards the open window outside which the moon rolled stupendously in the vaulting heavens.  
  
It was not desire which filled Van, but peace. The fact that such a goddess would lie waiting for him, Van, a tortured, weak, angry boy, meant that the universal harmony which Folken and the others strived for, is attainable. No life, no death, no fate shall ever blow out this ever shining lamp that beacons from this small room.  
  
For the past five years, he had wished to hold her, gently and gracefully, not in some amorous trance, but in unmistakable, tangible, breathing reality. Smoothly, he crawled into bed next to her and with shivering hands, held her from behind. Hitomi made a little sound and shuffled a bit, as if acknowledging his presence. After she eased into sleep again, he confidently placed the weight of his arm on her waist. The wish was fulfilled in reality. It absolved reality.  
  
Listening to the lyricism of her quiet breathing, Van was lulled into the misty beginning of their bond. During a time of exploding emotions, detonated by the unknown devils pounding in everyone's core, Van had rampaged in his own life and in the world. Love was for him a distant speck in the cluster of the sky, and both gods and men thought him too much of a superhuman to be in need of stardust. The tribulations at once scorched and froze him, shattered and scarred him. Then along came a strange young girl, a mystic visionary whose light burst through the seething steam. At first, he only glanced sideways at her boyish hair, weird behaviour and her earthshaking ability to see into the unknown. With time, a kind of beating drummed in his heart and he discovered the feeling of dreams. He forbade himself to think irrationally, to feel for her at all, but it somehow entered him as if it had always been a part of him, so eventually he let it seize him come ruin or rapture. He sat hurting and pining beneath the Mystic Moon until she finally, finally understood. Then the birth of sweet human love dawned upon the icy night of his spirit, and Escaflowne crashed to the ground along with hatred.  
  
My love, my Hitomi. The mere thought of these words awoke in him a shuddering sixth sense, compounded of fear, heavenly bliss and a wild, inexplicable sentiment that resembled nothing so near as the pain of regret. He has always been conscious and even shameful of the way he initially treated her, and how he treated Folken upon discovering his betrayal. They had both hurt him in their own ways, but he had no right to summon the dragons. He should have been kinder to Hitomi from the start and he should have taken better care of her during these past few years. He also should not have stormed his brother with vindictiveness up to the moment of his death. Such regrets age him at a rapid speed, and at just nineteen, he sometimes felt death to be on the brink. As much as he wanted to reminisce, certain things in the bleeding caverns of memory just won't allow it.  
  
But now he knows – not merely believes – that everything will work out in the end. He has discovered himself in the past, and now he has discovered himself in the future. Time has lent him strength and he may compensate for past losses, simply by holding her. Foreknowledge did not bother him – seeing the future is a burden, but it did not feel intrusive or sacrilegious. After all, what are human bounds and mortality to one who has seen heaven and hell? What is fate to him?  
  
"I love you, Hitomi Kanzaki," he whispered into her hair. Her tears glittered in the moon river.  
  
……….  
  
A certain fragrance is attached to every poetic place. For Fanelia, it is the scent of trees after rain. It was this aroma that invigorated Van and stirred him from his sleep. He opened his eyes with ease and found himself to be relieved of the tension he usually feels upon waking. There was instead a sense of hope. What he had just experienced, he did not lose but is going to have. He looked around and realized that he had been napping beneath a bough, while Orion practiced archer nearby.  
  
Van walked closer and observed his skilful friend shoot out arrows like a machine, and each shot had lightning speed and impeccable aim. For uncertain reasons, Van began to clap – something he has never done before. "That…that is amazing, Orion."  
  
"So, Van Fanel, you admit that I can beat you at one thing?" Orion responded jokingly, eyes still on the target.  
  
'Did I ever deny it?"  
  
"No. I know, it's because I am the God of Arrows, ha ha ha ha!" Orion cackled weirdly. Van raised a brow in amusement.  
  
"But seriously," Orion set down his bow, "You hardly ever pay a compliment, so thank you." He grinned his silly, sunny smile and resumed shooting.  
  
Van turned to go inside but suddenly came back and asked in a steady murmur, "Orion, do you think I should go to her?"  
  
"Let's just put it this way," Orion set down his bow and stared at the ground with crossed arms. "Um…say that someone dammed up the entire ocean in a gigantic mountain, don't you think that the water would want to rush down to meet heaven by the horizon? The horizon is meant to be permanent, so sea and sky should always meet. I know that was a bad metaphor, but you know what I mean, right?" Orion's eyes softened charmingly. "All you have to do, Van, is see. And as I've said before, I think you're already beginning to."  
  
Orion resumed aiming and Van, inaudibly, thanked his everlasting friend. As he walked to his room, he felt the surging of a strange but potent force, not destructive but creative, germinating a torrential flow of beautiful words. Van immediately ran to his room and opened his notebook, in which he wrote things of a political or social nature. He let the streams and cataracts of emotions and phrases gush into his being and he projected them onto the page. Never before were words in such splendid profusion, since he had always believed words to be nothing but utterances or ink on paper. But now, these little alphabets formed a primal source of Love. "As once the angel-winged lover…"  
  
After the river passed him, he sat in silence, staring at the scribbled page. He had never been a man of expression and he probably never will be again, because this was his one effusion and he would be satisfied with it. All he needed was to let out, once and for all, the being of dreams. He assumed that Hitomi understood his feelings even if she never reads the poem, because she is the sun in the galaxy into which he poured the words.  
  
Just as Van smiled upon the thought that this must be the poem Val spoke of, Merle ran in spiritedly and leapt onto him.  
  
"Lord Van," she licked his cheek adorably, "I've come to say good-bye."  
  
"Oh, are you returning to the school already?"  
  
"Yeah, I've been gone for two colours, and the kids will miss me. Besides, you're fully well now, so I don't have to worry anymore."  
  
"Merle," he patted her head, "I'm sorry you ever worried. I hope you won't ever have to again."  
  
"I hope so too." The brother and sister embraced. Merle got down and noticed his book. Before Van could snatch it back, Merle had begun to read it.  
  
"Lord Van," she handed it back to him immediately, "I won't read it. It's for Hitomi, isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah," he replied sheepishly, "I guess."  
  
"You want to go to her, don't you, Lord Van?"  
  
He looked down irritably. "I…I don't know."  
  
"It's just like before, when she returned to the Mystic Moon. But you brought her back. You can do it again."  
  
"Merle, it's not like before. It just…isn't right." He closed his eyes, and as he battled with his own soul, he imagined his mother telling him to follow his heart.  
  
"Does it matter what is 'right' according to the gods? It won't be easy, but you have got to find a way out, together. I know that deep down inside you know it's right because what happened to you was not fair. See, Lord Van, I always figure out your feelings before you do." She closed in and kissed him on the cheek. "Just use Escaflowne's energist, okay?" After a pat on his shoulder, she skipped towards the door, saying, "Come to Fidell someday soon! The kids will love a visit from the king!"  
  
He can see, and he was conscious of it, despite struggling to admit that Orion and Merle are right, always gloriously right. He also knew what he wanted and having seen the past and future, he wanted it even more fervently. There was no trace of her anymore, but she is somewhere, waiting for him. Closing his eyes in intense pensiveness, he seemed to see in his mind, her oceanic eyes, beckoning him with their azure smiles.  
  
Then it came onto him burningly – he must go. He must leap beyond the bounds of both dreams and reality, and pursue, across the pathless desert of life, death, time, his love. He cannot lose her to the blinding light of some Numen. He must prepare to fight the war of his life. The other losses are irreparable, but this one must be saved.  
  
Clinging to the blazing hope and determination, he ran down to Orion's room. Amid the myriad and pyramids of boxes, books, miscellaneous scraps, Van dug out a wooden box, painted black and sealed with red wax. He cut it open with his dagger and held in his hand, that rosy jewel, glowing with the blood and passion of the years. It had been hidden among Orion's cluster because Van had never wanted it to be necessary again. But now, Escaflowne will be re-enshrined as a god. Van remembered that it is not just associated with destruction. It is also a god of protection.  
  
He enfolded his finger over the energist and journeyed, with winged steps, Olympus-ward to the Empyrean.  
  
……….  
  
'Swift', 'intense', 'animated', these were words to describe the music that summoned Hitomi back from her vacant dormancy. It had been a dreary trance, without texture or content. Her entire body throbbed with aches but she managed to prop herself up by the arms and leaned against the back of the bed. Her wan eyes gazed emptily at the khaki-coloured archaeology tent she was in. She remembered that humans need REM sleep that induces dreams, and without it the cognitive faculties will be damaged. Therefore, she must have dreamt during the long sleep. But whatever the dreams, they were bereft of him. He has become a fleeting shape, lost in the bottomless abyss of sleep.  
  
Gathering her sense, Hitomi realized that the fast-pace song, which played from the radio outside her tent, had ended. The melodic prelude to a romantic song commenced in sad splendour:  
  
"There are times, I swear I know you're here,  
  
When I forget about my fears, feeling you my dear  
  
Watching over me, my hope seeks  
  
What the future will bring,  
  
When you wrap me in your wings, and take me  
  
Where you are,  
  
Where you and I will be together, once again,  
  
We'll be dancing in the moonlight, just like we used to do,  
  
And you'll be smiling back at me,  
  
Only then will I be free, when I can be,  
  
Where you are…"  
  
It must have been a song that her American friend, Sarah, was listening to. Hearing the lyrics, Hitomi was uncertain whether she should smile or cry. Neither came out, for the emotion was greater than both, even greater then the image of the seraph holding his love in his immaculate wings.  
  
Sarah entered the tent all of a sudden, with some fresh flowers. Seeing Hitomi, she dropped everything and exclaimed, "Hitomi! Thank God you're awake! I gotta go get Yukari." She dashed out and returned a few seconds later with the wet-cheeked, swollen-eyed Yukari.  
  
"Oh, Hitomi," she knelt down by the bed and clutched Hitomi's pale hands. "I was so worried. You lay here for two months already. We thought you'd never wake up. We found you in one of the houses in Akrotiri. The doctors in Athens could do nothing. I was so scared!" Yukari buried her face in the covers.  
  
Jason came in, with an envelope in one hand. "Thank God, Hitomi," he said joyfully, though less dramatically than the girls. "I knew you'd be alright. Well, here…" he handed her the envelope.  
  
Yukari's sobbing ceased, and the room died into unnatural soundlessness. Hitomi noticed how Jason's hand trembled as he held out the letter.  
  
'What's wrong?" Hitomi asked hesitantly, intuitively knowing that she is about to hear something catastrophic.  
  
All three of them stood in front of her silently. Finally, Jason cleared his throat and murmured with a lapse of tone, "It…the express message, came for you last week. We didn't open it. It…"  
  
"The war, Hitomi," Yukari suddenly cried, "It's gotten so bad. Japan has been invaded, the neutrality completely broken. My brother died in combat."  
  
Hitomi's eyes quivered with terror. She swallowed hard and held out her arm for Yukari. "I'm, I'm so sorry, Yukari. My family?"  
  
"I don't know. There has been no letter from your mom, and I didn't tell her about your sickness. This letter probably explains."  
  
She didn't want to read it because she instinctively knew what it would say. Before even opening the letter, tears ran down. The paper became soaked with brackish water; the blackness of the ink ran like dark fingers down the white sheet. Unable to remain sensible and steady, Hitomi jolted and flung the message away. Yukari picked it up:  
  
"Dear Hitomi,  
  
It gives me great pain to tell you the following news. It might kill you as it killed me, but I must tell and I will do so swiftly. The war has become uncontrollable. Your father died heroically in combat. Tokyo was bombed. Your brother is missing. Your mother lies fatally wounded in the hospital. Your uncle and eldest cousin have also passed away. Those of us who remain try out best to take care of your mother and we continue to search for the little one. It's too dangerous here, so don't come back. Do it only when it is safe. I will try to keep in touch.  
  
Your Aunt."  
  
Hitomi lay down as if from her dying wound and clutched onto her own shoulders. In this catatonic state, everything passed away for her. Nothing anyone said or did gave the slightest inkling of hope. The insanity of this world was tumultuous and ineffable. She was wrong to have thought Gaea to be the only world at war. Hell is immanent. She jumped from the Destiny War to the hell of losing Van, to this pandemonium.  
  
In the middle of the night, when all else lay resting on this side of the globe, Hitomi packed everything and dragged her glassy body to the airport at Athens. She secretly wished, in a nihilistic depth of her mind, that she would be travelling towards her own death.  
  
……….  
  
From the height of the plane, Earth looked beaten black. Death-in-life is the desiccated carcass of war, Hitomi meditated. Gaea has Van, therefore it has hope. But Earth…Earth only has man, corrupted, malicious, hubristic and selfish man. They each foolishly believe narcissism to be the source of true love. Because of them, the world now dances feverishly to a phantamagoric death chant. Each person is an oppressed slave, a fool, and a coward, caught in the transient present, between the winding past and future. Poor, savage and insane, humans drain the Earth out of all vital waters, until they are forced to drink each other's blood to survive.  
  
The stygian gloom of the re-opened black hole reached its skeleton fingers to Hitomi. She let it come. It was the monstrous progeny of war and lost love. In the stagnant process of the plane ride, Hitomi thought about Van, with hopelessness for the first time. Merely never forgetting him was not enough. What if their moment of eternity has already passed and will never return? She could not bear the thought of growing old and dying with just withered petals of memories plucked from the golden flower of youth. But it was undeniable that the adventure on Gaea had ended, and everything was over. She remembered an old Japanese proverb: "He would travel for love, and would find a thousand miles not longer than one." Over the years, she has often wished Van would come to her again, even if it were wrong to do so. She felt ashamed of such a selfish wish and she would never want him to abandon Fanelia, but she was simply too fragile. Where you are…Now, fragility was irrelevant because she has been shattered completely – she felt no soul left in her and she was convinced that he would never come.  
  
The black hole exerted its final blow and swallowed her entirely. In that second, she began wondering if Van was real at all. Perhaps he was just fiction, or a dream vision that her mind created to ease her through the many storms of living. The more she tried to imagine reality, the more imaginary he, and Gaea, became. In the recesses of her half-numb mind, she seemed to have heard a faint echo of the phrase, "I love you, Hitomi Kanzaki", uttered in his sonorous, calm voice. The words quickly faded until where he is no longer mattered because "where he is" has become nowhere.  
  
She looked passively out the window. The grey Pacific rolled beneath. The corner of her mouth sneered as she thought how ironic it was that the Pacific, literally meaning "peace", has now become a bubbling cauldron of war, overflowing with brackish blood.  
  
As the plane flew over Southern Japan, approaching Tokyo, a foreign base that hid in the mountains on one of the islands, sent out a missile. The right wing of the plane caught on fire.  
  
Before the explosion extended to the tail of the jet, a dynamic pillar of light shot through seat 325C.  
  
……….  
  
Just as Van set foot in the graveyard, before he held up the energist or reached Escaflowne, he was pulled, heads-down, by that golden, silver, sapphire column, retreating into the zenith.  
  
Silence proclaimed, "The dell is now mine."  
  
~ End of Part III ~  
  
  
  
So what did you guys think? I'm more proud of this chapter than I am of the previous two. I've got the ending all worked out, so I just hope you will read on and find the finale a satisfactory one. Btw, there is also Book Two, which continues Book One ("Gaea Regained"), with an interlude in between. There are 9 chapters in Book One – the climax is at the end of chapter 8. I can give you a little preview if you want, just let me know. Hope you dream of your fav. Esca character tonight! My fav is Van – is it obvious?  
  
Notes and points of interest:  
  
The Vision of Eros is from Plato, basically it relates to how one lover can see the other in a heavenly vision, even when the two are separated by time and space.  
  
A numen is kind of like a mystic god that presides over the invisible world.  
  
Yep, the song near the end of the chapter is "Where you Are", sung by Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. I think this song is simply beautiful and it fits Van and Hitomi so well. Another song that fits the whole missing- you-to-death scenario is "To Where you Are" sung by the new sensation in music, Josh Groban. Maybe you don't like this kind of operatic singing, but the melody and lyrics are heavenly, so you should definitely check it out. I think it suits the mood of this chapter. 


	4. Soul of My Soul

Gaea Regained Hi again! Wow, I received some really generous reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can't believe people actually enjoyed my writing. This just makes my day ^_^ What I hope for right now is a wider readership, so please, please spread the word and tell your fellow esca. lovers about "Both are Infinite"! When I receive 100 reviews, I'm gonna open a bottle of champagne! Btw, in case you don't know, I posted a series of poems to promote the story – some of the poems you have already read in the chapters but I've also included some new ones which won't be in the story. Check those out, if you like love poems. This following chapter is really long and it's slow in the beginning, but I promise many nice romantic moments, so enjoy. Don't forget to tell me what you think!  
  
IV. Soul of my Soul  
  
1 Meanwhile  
  
We two will rise, and sit, and walk together,  
  
Under the roof of blue Ionian weather,  
  
And wander in the meadows, or ascend  
  
The mossy mountains, where the blue heavens bend  
  
With lightest winds, to touch their paramour;  
  
Or linger, where the pebble-paven shore,  
  
Under the quick, faint kisses of the sea  
  
Trembles and sparkles as with ecstasy, -  
  
Possessing and possessed by all that is  
  
Within that calm circumference of bliss,  
  
And by each other, till to love and live  
  
Be one…  
  
Percy Bysshe Shelley, Epipsychidion  
  
The central star of Orion's Belt, Alnilam, lies about 2000 light years from Earth and burns 30,000 times brighter than our sun. It is a young blue supergiant star, the largest compared to Alnitak and Mintaka, the other two stars of the belt. Near Alnitak is the fascinating Horsehead nebula, consisting of dense, cold clouds of gas too opaque for light to pass through. Above the belt, lying at 400 light years from Earth, is the red supergiant star, Betelgeuse, with a luminosity of 10,000 suns. Betelgeuse and Bellatrix together form the "shoulder" of Orion. Diagonal from Betelgeuse, south of the belt is the blue supergiant Rigel, with the light of 40,000 suns. Betelgeuse and Rigel are two of the brightest points in the winter sky.  
  
A little below the belt is Orion's sword. Near the middle of the sword lies a swarm of stars, embedded in a gossamer haze. All around the trapezium formed by these stars are twisted skeins of bright gas mottled with patches of dark dust. This is the Orion Nebula, the night jewel. Through the telescope, it appears as a fabulously detailed tumult of ghostly traceries and pinpoint stars. In the middle are two vast ocean- green clouds forming gigantic wings, reminiscent of Alcyone.  
  
In Greek mythology, Orion was a giant and a hunter, born of Poseidon. He loved Merope, princess of Chios, but her father, King Oenopion, opposed their love and blinded Orion as a punishment. Orion sought the help of Hephaestus who gave him Kedalion, a guide who took him to the sun god, and his sight was restored by the dawn. Afterwards, he lived with Artemis on Crete. Eventually, Apollo grew jealous and devised a plan in which Artemis accidentally killed Orion. Bewailing his death, she placed him among the immortal stars.  
  
"Orion", or "Sahu" in ancient Egyptian, originally meant "Union of Three".  
  
……….  
  
Sunpillars are naturally possible – Hitomi knew this. At either dawn or dusk, whenever the faint sunlight reflects off a distant ice crystal at a certain angle, a pillar of light will emit from the sun disc and tower towards the heavens. What she didn't know and thought she would never know, was why there were these unnatural sunpillars, such as the one that first transported her and Van to Gaea five years ago.  
  
She winced a little and tried to sit up. Her arm was cut during the fall. The pillar had been so turbulent this time. Yet like Atlantis, it remains elusive. In sudden daunt and disappointment, she was strangely reminded of how she, in spite of all her visions and dowsing, had never really figured out why or how the pillar of light occurred. It is surely beyond Van and her; it transported them, bound them as if it were a god. Nor did she ever clarify whether Dornkirk was Isaac Newton. Ever if he were, why would the scientist who studied gravity and the solar spectrum be tied with Atlantis?  
  
The cloud of confusion so shadowed her fragile being that she scarce had energy or time to realize her surrounding until the wound stung her senses once again. She struggled up and insipidly observed the forest clearing she was in. The bird songs and light wind seemed so unfamiliarly peaceful that she was somehow haunted by them. An extraordinary aura was present in the place, like an invisible and completely foreign deity, and she shuddered in its presence. One can never be used to the unknown, no matter how often it appears. This was not Gaea. She glanced up at the sky through the small clearing. It was so brilliantly sapphire, more like a painting than a work of nature. No Earth was in sight.  
  
She crossed her legs and sat hunchbacked, with her left hand pressing the oozing wound on her right forearm. Her carry-on backpack had been transported with her, so she used it as a pedestal to lean against. She had no knowledge of how she was hurt, of where she was, of what happened on the plane. Nothing appeared on the tabula rasa of her mind, no clue, no word, and not even an emotion, for everything had been so colossal that it belonged to an emotion never before named by humans. Bereft of substance, she filled the void with tears.  
  
The illimitable spirit of the human heart that she used to live by and had taught to others, was certainly murdered – if a great spirit can die. She was unsure whether the tears were for herself, her family, humanity, or maybe Van – for being a mere imaginary character created by a desperate mind. He had receded into the chamber of antenatal dreams, and she marvelled at how she ever had the imagination to create such an animated world called Gaea.  
  
But now, assuming her perception was intact, she was in a foreign land for real. Courage was of no consequence, neither was belief. She still remembered how her grandmother, and even Folken, had declared – so naively it now seems – that it will be all right, if she believes. Would there were someone to say it now! She immediately scolded herself for weakness and dependence upon others. There wasn't Van, Allen, her father; there was just her, and Death. With incredible slowness she staggered up but her knees failed her and she collapsed again. For some time, she just sat, weeping or groaning once in a while. Eventually she decided she'd better go find shelter before dark, so she attempted to stand up. However, weakness of mind could not produce strength of body, so she began to fall. Just before she hit the ground, a pair of strong hands caught her from behind and helped her up gently.  
  
Without looking up at him, she began to cry convulsively.  
  
"Hitomi, hey, what's the matter?" he embraced her with his Atlantean arms, and surrounded her with his strength, as he had always done.  
  
She clutched him with shivering hands and gasped upon confirming how tangible, how real he felt. His hands ran up and down her back, and her senses proved it wasn't just wind brushing her. He smelled like fresh fields of grass. "I'm so, so sorry, Van. Please forgive me."  
  
"What? It's not your fault we're here. We'll figure this out, don't worry."  
  
"No," she pulled away a bit so she could see his face. "I…I…thought you were…not real."  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?"  
  
She slipped out of his arms and went to sit beneath a tree. He followed. "Remember the Numen. Well, after I was taken, I was in a coma for two months. When I woke up, you weren't there anymore, so I thought everything had been a dream. I just…" At this point, the thought of her family flooded in and she buried her face in her hands and sobbed. For her, those weren't tears, but drops of blood.  
  
"Hitomi!" he supported her by the shoulders. While she was on Gaea, it was her undying and unconquerable faith that emancipated him from his fears and limitations. His world had been the pendant hanging from her neck. Can the tower on which all depended really collapse? Awkward and agitated, Van did not know what to do except wait for her to speak. His mind did not even have room to process the immeasurable event of meeting her again.  
  
After certain frozenness, she disclosed everything. Silence followed, as Van tried to fight off her war for her. But he couldn't because it already became a part of her. He was chilled by the realization that she had become just like him: stained, shattered, stormed, asking for really so little. The birds and flowers were cruelly indifferent to their suffering.  
  
"Hitomi," he secured his hands on her shoulders, turned her towards him and welded his eyes into hers. "Look, I understand your pain. Escaflowne knows your pain. So do Allen, Orion, Merle and thousands of others. You're never alone. When I think of my parents, of Folken and Balgus, I know that the pain will never go away. Their death is yours too, but you can't run away, can't break apart, and can't barricade your own soul. You must be great – you taught me that." The withdrawn and sulky Van just burst forth in a glorious torrent of expression.  
  
Her tremour was soothed. She gazed at him, towards that face which, like an angel's, extolled the Hope of all Hopes. "I'm so scared, Van. All the nightmares are recurring. What am I to do from now on?"  
  
"Nothing and everything – if you remember that greatness is both behind and before you. We'll find a way out together."  
  
For the moment, tragedy seemed surmountable, so she smiled ambivalently at it. "You're so different now, Van," she said as she placed her arms around his neck, "Different but real." Nothing could ever be more real.  
  
He reached out to hold her, but noticed her wound. He was surprised that he did not see it before and that she did not mention it. "Hitomi, you're bleeding!" Before she could respond, he had already begun to press his handkerchief on the wound to stop the bleeding. "What happened?"  
  
"I must have been cut during the fall."  
  
"Yeah? The light was fast and violent this time. I was taken up by my feet and nearly dropped on my head! I fell not far from here, and then I heard someone crying. I followed the sound and found you. I can't describe…" he lifted off the cloth and they both became dumbfounded with daunt.  
  
"What the…" the cloth and his hand were soaked in blood, but there was no cut on her arm.  
  
"It disappeared. Van, what did you…"  
  
"I didn't do anything. It's not like I know magic."  
  
"It wasn't me."  
  
"No," he stood up, "It's this place," he announced grimly and inspected their surrounding with suspicion.  
  
"You feel it too? Something doesn't feel right or…familiar. Actually, it feels rather…nice."  
  
He peered again at the trees, grass and sky. "Too nice. C'mon," he held out his hand and pulled her up, keeping his arm around her as they walked out into the woods, hoping to find a path.  
  
A breeze danced around them, invisible and ineffable, born out of the same nature as the rustling of wings heard by hopeful Love in the depth of dreams. Van was not frightened or shocked, but curious. For once, he felt he could re-experience the vision of the child and observe the world with wonder. This was what exploring the Fanelian forest with his brother felt like.  
  
Hitomi allowed herself to lean wholly on him and she smiled girlishly upon realizing how prosperous, fortunate and queenly she felt to be thus protected. While she was drunk in the ecstasy of the moment, Van observed how the abundant woods became sparser. This was a sign that they were approaching the edge of the forest. He marvelled at how the sturdy young trees rose obelisk-like into the glowing energist that was the Ionian sky. The blades of grass undulated with the wind along the foot of the trees, and their green feathers were starred with golden sunlight. When he looked forward, the grass flowed into plains and hills of swaying emerald, leading and extending the Way of Nature.  
  
"Wow, it's so beautiful here. Have you ever seen anything like it?" Hitomi exclaimed and gently slipped out of Van's arms so she could run into the field. She flung open her arms, turned her face towards the zenith and twirled, twirled until she felt intermingled with the sylvan scene around her.  
  
A crescent smile, approaching a laugh, appeared on Van's face. She looked like a sylph, gathering all her airy spirits beneath her butterfly wings. He ran to her and she fell dizzily into his arms. She leaned back and smiled up at him, her eyes recalled a pure, cerulean sky, windswept of the clouds of tragedy. She stroked his cheek with the back of her right hand. Van was startled and became tense and red with embarrassment. His face appeared rustic against the perfect background, she thought, but it was so real, so ravishing, radiating life and virility. Suddenly, her eyes shot passed him to some strange object. Van sighed gladly at being relieved of the attention. However, so intent was her gaze that he had to turn around and see what was behind him. They saw a flock of sheep flowing over the hilltop, and behind them skipped a shepherd.  
  
Van silently gestured for Hitomi to step a little behind him. They cautiously approached the foot of the hill. Amid the calls of the flock, they distinguished the jolly whistles of the shepherd, who was already halfway down the hill.  
  
"Halloo, there!" the shepherd, who had noticed them for some time, hollered out. Van still walked over slowly, but when the man suddenly ran down towards them, he halted, and Hitomi bumped into him from behind. The three stood in awkward silence, interrupted only by the bleating of the sheep.  
  
"Ha, Ha, Ha!" the man laughed suddenly. Van was alerted. "From the looks of yous, methinks you be outsiders."  
  
"So what if we are," Van responded sternly, but not without astonishment at the fact that he not only understood the man but spoke his language as if it were his mother tongue.  
  
"So nothing." The shepherd shrugged his shoulders and then approached them. Alarmed, Van pulled Hitomi closer and gripped the hilt of his sword. With arms behind his back, the short, stumpy fellow walked around them and examined them from top to bottom, at times frowning or nodding.  
  
Hitomi returned the man's actions with the same fervent marvel and curiosity, whereas Van grew more agitated. Despite the lack of malice or prejudice in the shepherd's manners and countenance, Van despises any examination, especially ones made on his appearance, which he himself takes to be too inconsequential to need any comment or refinement.  
  
Upon the third circle he made, the shepherd poked childishly at Hitomi's backpack. As she was somewhat startled, Van's impatience allowed him no more room, so he hastily unsheathed his sword. "What do you want?" he enunciated roughly.  
  
"Oh, nothing," the shepherd smiled dumbly, "just wanted to see what young lady had. So you do be foreigners. By the by, what be this shiny being?" he pointed eagerly to Van's sword.  
  
"It's…" Van paused in disbelief of the man's ignorance, "a sword."  
  
"Oh, odd title. What's it do?"  
  
"Well, it…" Van glanced at Hitomi who was equally baffled, "it wounds or kills people…for defence."  
  
"But why would you want to do that?" without waiting for a reply, he reached over for the open blade. Before Van could pull the sword back, the shepherd had already ran his bare hand down the sharp side. "No!" Van yelled a minute too late.  
  
As the man lifted off his hand, Hitomi gasped, not because he was injured but because the blade still shone bright silver, with no trail of blood at all. "See," the man flexed his perfect, ample hand, "No hurt. You lie, no being can harm."  
  
As Van and Hitomi stood in incredulity mixed with awe, the man laughed again and said in a full, trumpet-like voice, "Me be Cyprus Varon, shepherd of these hills and valleys. What be your name, lad?"  
  
"I'm…" he lapsed a little, "Van Fanel of Fanelia."  
  
"Ah, so it's Mr. And Mrs. Fanel!"  
  
A pool of mauve immediately flooded over Van's face. "No, she's not…"  
  
"I'm not…" Hitomi blushed coyly and even inched a little away from Van.  
  
Cyprus observed their bashfulness with amusement then chuckled heartily. "Well, it be only a matter of time. A matter of time."  
  
"My name is Hitomi Kanzaki," she finally announced with a smile.  
  
"Ah, so you be from this Fanelia also?"  
  
"No, I'm from Earth."  
  
"Odd titles yous have. Never heard of. Perhaps it be a star and you be star people. Ha, Ha, Ha."  
  
"Well, you could say that. Both Earth and Gaea are planets in the sky, although," she looked up, "you can't see them from here."  
  
"And what be this Gaea?"  
  
"It's the world I came from," Van explained, calmly now. "Fanelia is my country. There are many others."  
  
"Coun-try, Hmmm…" Cyprus frowned pensively, "no understand. But, no matter, we've time to talk. Now, let Cyprus be first to welcome yous to Serenus!"  
  
"Serenus?" Van and Hitomi exclaimed simultaneously. Before they inquired further about a world neither of them knew anything of, Cyprus made another bizarre comment. "Yous know, methinks you'd have beautiful children!"  
  
Hitomi laughed a bit and Van received an image of Valorick and Hermione that made him cough sheepishly. After composing himself, he half- stuttered, "S-so, can you be k-kind enough to show us the way to a v- village, where there's food and shelter?"  
  
"Why, no need!" Cyprus came over and slapped Van on the shoulder, "yous come stay with Cyprus. Cottage be beyond that hill," he pointed to the west that the setting sun illumined gloriously. "Come, come, it be nice."  
  
After beckoning them forward, he led the way, gathering up the grazing sheep and continued with his song. They followed obediently, as if mesmerized by a sublime power, for there is something in the shepherd's rounded figure and dainty walk that suggested radiance within.  
  
A little physical distance developed between Van and Hitomi due to the recent blunder. However, they became inspirited by the immediate splendour of the arcadia. As they climbed on top the hill, over which lay Cyprus's valley and cottage, they beheld the orange disc of the sun skirting the horizon, diffusing a perpetual radiance that shimmered the gently undulating turquoise river. Tiny dots of silver and gold were already revealing their diamond light in the faintly lilac firmament. To the strangers' wonder, these stars of Serenus's heaven were not stationary like the ones above Earth or Gaea, but were literally dancing around. At times they twirled in a cluster, at times they reached over to encircle the sunpillar that was newly born from the dusk. This strange land surpassed all hitherto explored worlds in beauty and magic. At a distance, snow- capped peaks and precipices towered like ancient castles toward some fantastical world, the home of another race of creatures. Van kept his head up during the whole walk, and felt he could cease to venerate all beings save the Omnipotent who has created all good that was here displayed in their full magnificence and poetry. What may not be expected in a land where everything that is, gives eternal light?  
  
Hitomi never thought she'd know awe that elicits no terror, but serenity. Yet while Van's vision did not falter from the scene, she was somewhat reigned back to earth. As she carefully watched her steps while descending the hill, she could not help but feel a poignant and destructive desire to throw herself off the hill and dive away from everything. Seeing the pensive and ecstatic Van, and the jolly shepherd, she refrained from disclosing her woes, and instead imprisoned her heart with hellish thoughts that stood in gross juxtaposition to her present environment. She wondered if such beauty prognosticated peace, or if it merely served to delineate and mock her misery.  
  
After arriving at the cottage, which consisted of a main living/eating room, a bedroom and a storage space, Cyprus speedily set to work. He first cleared the dining table and benches, and invited his guests to sit while he heated the stew and removed his necessities to the barn where he was to sleep. The only bedroom has been courteously allotted to his special guests, with all the linens changed and extra pillows added.  
  
Over a simple country dinner by candlelight and open windows, they conversed about the wonders of each other's respective worlds. What haunted Van and Hitomi was the uncertainty of whether it was Cyprus who was ignorant and alien, or they themselves.  
  
The first abnormal thing they noticed upon sitting down to dinner were the gold and silver plates, cutleries and cups. It was baffling to see how a poor, simple shepherd could have the means to obtain such riches, and use them for the most commonplace purpose. During the course of the meal, many fascinating facts were learned about Serenus, all of which Van later recorded briefly in his journal, for the sake of using Serenus as a model society:  
  
"Upon disclosing my status as king, Cyprus stared in confusion and bewilderment, inquiring after the nature of such a position. He subsequently told us that they have absolutely no authorities on Serenus, nor are there any boundaries that distinguish one country from another. Everyone is a big family, and naturally all is treated with equality. He therefore thought my job a futile yet intriguing one. He went on to explain that each person on Serenus, regardless of occupation, obtains living necessities by going to the markets to trade goods. They have no currency whatsoever, no money, only goods. Even precious material like gold or silver are considered to be of the same status as rock or wood, and therefore employed for common household or agricultural purposes. Diamond, being a strong gem, is often used to build hospitals and schools. On a higher plane, Serenus is even more wondrous. When he asked about our homelands, we lamented the war, chaos, hatred, disease, and poverty etc. that so plague mankind. However, Cyprus frowned in child-like perplexity. Hitomi and I were stupefied to learn that he, and all other inhabitants on that planet, have utterly no knowledge of war, doom or even death. After we narrated the occurrences of the Destiny War during which we met, Cyprus laughed amiably at how any creature could contemplate anything other than love and goodness. It seems he has no notion of evil or hate. Pestilence and illness have never contaminated the fair grounds of Serenus. This is why Hitomi's wound was healed miraculously and why my sword did not injure Cyprus. With the total absence of conflict, one does not die until one willingly resigns life with a peaceful state of mind. Otherwise, one remains immortal. Hitomi and I speculated we may be in some dream-land. It all seems so simple, yet I cannot help but sense a mystic aura about the place."  
  
After a long and engaging discourse, during which fruit was served, Cyprus began to entertain his guest with jokes about his beloved sheep, all of which he has named. While Van was not yet unrestrained enough to participate in the freedom of open laughter, Hitomi enjoyed the jokes thoroughly, as if relieved of all previous pains. At times, she'd even wink at Van and nudge him a little to try to get him to laugh. When they were clearing the table, Van suddenly heard the sound of a heavenly melody, floating from somewhere outside. He pulled Hitomi to the window and they listened to the aerial loveliness.  
  
"Those be moonlings," Cyprus interrupted their indulgence.  
  
"Huh? Moonlings?" Hitomi blinked curiously.  
  
"Little things, like fairies, they sing when the moons be full."  
  
"You have fairies here?" her eyes widened in amazement. "Van, isn't it fascinating? They have magical beings!"  
  
"You walk! Look at moonlings!" Cyprus gestured towards the door.  
  
Excitedly, Hitomi grabbed Van's hand and they ran out. On the wide meadow in front of the cottage, glittered small firefly-like things that flew in circles and sang the enchanting serenade that enraptured the soul. Once again, Hitomi dashed out into the open. The moonlings seemed happy to see a friend and danced around her. She began to spin but when she looked up at the sky, she halted.  
  
Van came to her side, and together they stared in awe and terror. Stationary among the moving stars were Earth, hanging behind the pale moon, and a little further off, the green-blue Gaea. In between them was a large magenta whirlpool, gyrating in the dark – it was a spiral galaxy, a gateway between two worlds.  
  
"Van, do you see that…"  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
"Strange…yet so beautiful."  
  
"So are we in a different universe you think?"  
  
"No, Earth and Gaea look too close for us to be that far off. Probably just a different galaxy."  
  
"I never knew a spiral existed between Gaea and the Mystic Moon." They viewed in long silence, the moonlings singing in the background.  
  
Hitomi suddenly heaved a pitiful sigh. "Earth…"  
  
"Hitomi," Van looked down at her and gently placed a hand on her waist. "You miss home, don't you?"  
  
"I…" her gaze switched to the ground.  
  
"You're worried. Want to go back? We'll go together."  
  
She looked up at him with a sickly pale complexion. "How can we do that?"  
  
Van immediately took off his necklace and held the blazing pendant in his right palm. "We don't have the energist but this will probably do. Here, give me your hand." She placed her hand uncertainly over the rosy stone. "Now close your eyes, Hitomi, and wish. Wish with everything you've got." In each other's arms, they squeezed their eyes, and wished desperately, faithfully. But it was ineffectual – no blue column shot down. Earth and Gaea still hung above.  
  
"How come?" Van stared suspiciously at the pendant. "Why didn't it work?"  
  
Hitomi backed away from him and looked almost on the brink of collapse. "The power of our wishes…it didn't…Oh, well, maybe we're meant to stay here a little longer." She turned and ran towards the cottage, driving a path through the moonlings clusters.  
  
"Hitomi!" Van yelled after her but he did not follow. He stood and looked towards her direction, feeling a pang of guilt for being somewhat happy that they did not succeed in returning.  
  
By the time he had finished contemplating and had returned to the cottage, everything was calm. Cyprus had already retired to the barn. He gingerly walked to the bedroom and knocked gently. "Hitomi?"  
  
"Come in," she answered in a small, weak voice.  
  
He entered and saw her lying on the ground, with pillows and a quilt, curled up against the wall. "Hitomi, what are you doing?"  
  
"What does it look like?" she retorted with some annoyance.  
  
"Why are you sleeping on the ground? The bed is for you."  
  
"No, it's okay. You're a king, you shouldn't sleep on the ground."  
  
"I always sleep on the ground. I'm used to it. Now sleep on the bed!" he voiced a command, though not with severity.  
  
Seeing that she only curled up tighter, he advanced and picked her up. Before she had time to struggle against his strength, he had already settled her into the soft bed.  
  
"Van," she looked up at him with so soft a countenance that it weakened his legs and he immediately sank to the ground.  
  
"It's okay, don't mention it. Just get some rest. You need it. Goodnight." He blew out the candle and snuggled up inside the cover.  
  
Just before he was about to glide into the calm oblivion of sleep, he was stirred up by the sound of muffled sobbing. Looking up, he saw Hitomi with her back towards him, burying her head beneath the covers. Softly, he slipped onto the bed and placed a hand nervously on her back. Much to his dismay, Hitomi was startled with fright and withdrew as far as possible to the other side of the bed.  
  
"Hitomi, what's the matter?" he said with a hurt expression. She clutched the sheets tighter and continued to shiver. "You know that I'd never hurt you, and I won't…" he looked down with blushed cheeks, "…touch you, that way." Insecurely, he opened his arms and beckoned her with his heartening eyes.  
  
The comfort and love offered to her at that sacred moment at once enraptured and tortured her. While she dived into his arms and cried, she felt herself so unworthy of such paradise. She disbelieved that the humanity which flows within her could ever rise above a cruel fate. But his embrace, although it did not remove her grief, subdued and tranquilized it, replacing her previous nihilism with new life.  
  
"I understand, Hitomi, I understand," he stroked her hair as he laid down, her head upon his chest.  
  
After an interval of listening to Van's rapid heartbeats, she finally said in a thin, brittle voice, "It's been another fateful day, hasn't it?"  
  
"Maybe, I guess. I don't think I have any notions about fate anymore. I just have this uneasy feeling about time becoming distorted, or about something that's going to happen. But I don't know anything. I don't even know why or how we got here. And what happened to that…Numen anyways? What was his name again?"  
  
"Avalantis," Hitomi responded briskly and flatly, expressing a wish to evade the subject.  
  
"Well, anyhow, everything will fall in place eventually. I hope." Van did not intentionally seek the harbour of Hope, nor did he believe that he could ever be capable of Hitomi's powerful faith. But he was newly optimistic from the spirit he acquired just before he resolved to go find her. Therefore, he had courage enough to save her who has once saved his soul, and he allowed himself and her the ease and openness to make their stay on Serenus as far removed from their experience during the war as possible. Perhaps the peace and hope will not last, but no matter – he was there, holding her, as he knows he will always do.  
  
With that, the racing in his heart of hearts was soothed. Hitomi settled into him, placing her arm over his stomach, and she was soon lulled by the rhythm of his steady heart. It seemed to pump out waves of vibrant warmth and emotions, and sounded as a knell announcing their reception of true repose, the first they've had in a long time.  
  
……….  
  
The straight and majestic parade of morning light flowed into the restful space of the small room, awakened by the melodic chirping of Serenusian skylarks. Hitomi's hair looked golden in the light, and she lay softly breathing. With full-revitalized ease, she opened her eyes towards the window and smiled, somewhat unconsciously. The space where Van had slept was empty but the warmth seemed to linger. Thinking he must be in the living room, she quickly got up, cleaned herself at the basin and dug through her backpack in which there were a few articles of clothing. In all her down-to-earth air and tom boyishness, she never tried hard to appear physically attractive to Van. He would love her either way, but for her own indulgence, she put on a white tank top and a red knee-length spring skirt, all for the sake of observing his reaction.  
  
After taking some time laying out her possessions on the cabinet, making the bed and fixing a thing here or there, she walked out the room, as if into a new life. No one was in the house. Anxiety set in and she hurried outside, fearing Van's presence had been but a dream again. When she turned the corner to get to the barn, she beheld him, chopping wood in front of the barn. She hid in the corner and observed him.  
  
The translucency of the morning sky lent a view of Gaea, round and silver, hanging directly above where Van stood. He concentrated on splitting the wood with an axe, and had no hint of the pair of glistening emerald eyes captivated by his rough and unkempt appearance. When they met yesterday, for the first time in five years, she felt she scarcely knew him. He had grown much taller, but retained the same slender frame, so sturdy as she touched him. In a few hours, she has recaptured the cascade of his hair, the motion of his limbs, and the trace the wind had left on his body. The boyish wildness was still there, but a mature potency settled in, augmented by his greatness of spirit and mind. He stood, she noticed, not consciously heroic, with long strong legs that extended from his slim, sculpture-like torso, which she gazed at with embarrassment, since he was not wearing a shirt. As he raised the axe above his head, every muscle in his arms became tense and quivering and his focus on the piece of wood sharpened. Hitomi was in awe, and was allowed a glimpse into the complex magnificence of the human body.  
  
Panting and perspiring, Van suddenly stopped to take a break. As he set down the axe, he turned towards her direction and saw her, without noticing the bright red cheeks and widened eyes. "Oh, Hitomi, you're up. Did you sleep well?"  
  
"Yeah," the redness intensified as he approached her, still with no shirt on. "So, wh-what are you doing?"  
  
"Oh, just helping out by chopping fire wood."  
  
"Do all kings on Gaea do this?" she smiled, approving his hardworking spirit.  
  
"It would be nice if they did. I just try to do what I can."  
  
A minute of silence followed where Van was still trying to catch his breath, and Hitomi simply stared at the ground, until she finally contrived to ask, "Have you had breakfast?"  
  
"No, not yet. At dawn, Cyprus took me to the market. I didn't want to wake you up because you were so tired. Cyprus has already gone out with his flock; he didn't have time to fix breakfast. He said he won't be back till dusk. Well, I have to tell you all about the little village…"  
  
"Okay," she interrupted and suddenly ran back towards the cottage. "Tell me while I fix you breakfast!"  
  
Before he could respond, she has already begun to take the pots and pans off the shelf, only to realize, with some concern, that since there was no microwave or ready-made food, her cooking would probably be unpalatable. But seeing Van's eager expression, she immediately set to work on the corn, investing a new, previously unneeded faith in her kitchen skills.  
  
The whole situation felt funny. From the chopping to washing, to heating, she never once paused or faltered from reaching the goal which has so long laid undisturbed in a special place: to cook for the man she loves. She tucked in her chin and smiled sheepishly at the thought. Can happiness be this simple? Can all the wishes of one lifetime amount to one's own family?  
  
While Hitomi was busy stirring, wiping by the stove, Van went inside the bedroom, put on his shirt, cleaned his face and then sat reverently on the bed. Her aura surrounded him. The neatly folded corners of the sheets, the still wet towel, the bottles, the brush on the table…these glowed with her life, the life of the ordinary, everyday Hitomi, the one he wanted to live and die with. The order of things, though fixed in haste, was just right, and endowed the space with the freshness and simplicity that he always thought suited Hitomi well. He got up and examined her things. They were objects from the Mystic Moon, so he did not know most of them. One object especially intrigued him: a round, glass-covered disk, with two bands coming out of either side, and two small black lines in the middle. His autumn eyes swirled around the dark arms of Time, wondering if they could be moved to a position where they'd be in exact opposition, an infinite radius apart, or to where they'd be united and placed upon one another. Time's Hermes…  
  
"Van! Breakfast is ready!" Hitomi's cheerful voice pierced the sphere of his speculation. Her announcement was followed by a laugh.  
  
"What's so funny, Hitomi?" he asked as he came out.  
  
"Oh, nothing! Here," she set the plates down and was convinced that the redness in her cheeks would never disappear.  
  
"By the way, what's this?" he held up the object of his fascination.  
  
"Oh, that's my watch. It stopped ever since I got here. We use it to tell time."  
  
"Tell time?" it was not so much of a question as a skeptic judgement. "Like a sundial then. Interesting how man thinks himself capable of knowing Time. Anyways, let's eat." Like a hungry child, he grabbed the spoon and tasted the first sip of the soup.  
  
Hitomi sat opposite him and peered at him hopefully, only to observe his squinted eyes, wrinkled nose and lips, and colored complexion. "Oh, no!" she gasped with alarm. "It's horrible, isn't it? I must have added too much salt!"  
  
"Mmm…" he was still trying to swallow. "It's o-okay, really."  
  
"No, it's not. Oh, I'm so sorry, Van. You must have wonderful food at the castle everyday."  
  
"Actually, no," he looked up, his eyes moistened because of the salt. "Nestor keeps a tab on my diet."  
  
"Well, that's good. At least you eat well. Here, let me try," she took a sip and immediately began coughing. "Oh, God! It's disgusting!" While she was gulping down water, Van picked up his bowl and drank it all in one breath.  
  
"Oh, no, Van! Oh, God! Why did you do that? You don't have to, really."  
  
"It's fine," he squeezed his eyes. "I want to finish everything you've made for me."  
  
A silent interlude followed in which paramount bliss was achieved. The space between them circulated with profound ease and beauty, brushing them as feathers touch the water.  
  
Looking at each other's red, swollen faces and watery eyes, they suddenly burst into laughter simultaneously. For the first time since his childhood, Van experienced the release of this kind, and he was surprised to find how unencumbered, how airy his body could feel.  
  
"Van!" she clasped her hands in zeal. "You laughed, Van, you laughed." Their loud laughter calmed into smiles. "I thought I'd never hear it. I'm so glad, Van. For you to be happy, that's just so…" she reached over, his hand met hers in the middle.  
  
For either of them, perfection could never be simpler.  
  
"So, looks like your cooking was successful after all."  
  
Her eyes laughed through the joyful tears. "Here, let's just eat the bread, beans and carrots. So, anyways, I've been meaning to ask you a thousand questions about Gaea."  
  
"Oh?" Van felt somewhat queer and uneasy, since Hitomi has never asked him commonplace questions, nor did he think himself very capable of holding an interesting conversation.  
  
"Yesterday was a chaos of emotions, so we didn't really have time to talk. I'm glad we do now. You see, for the past five years, we've had such a strong connection. You were…" she slowed down and continued solemnly, "everything and everywhere for me. But I realized that we never really talked about ordinary stuff, like Fanelia, your friends, politics etc."  
  
"Okay, so what do you want to know?" he smiled, as if more curious than she to hear what he has to disclose.  
  
"Let's see," she glanced sideways, and the playful air of the old Hitomi filled her animated expression. "Well, you told me a bit about the reconstruction and about Orion. Oh, but first I must know more about Allen and Millerna."  
  
"Well, okay, Allen…" he gulped upon remembering what last took place with Allen. "Well, about three years ago, there was a big…story about him wanting to marry Millerna, even though, supposedly, Princess Eries loved him too." Hitomi's eyes glowed with amazement. "And, um, Millerna had to divorce Dryden. Now that's not exactly tradition in Gaea, so there was a big controversy. Allen asked me to go to Palas – I think I told you this – to act as legal advisor and witness. So I went, and eventually the divorce was settled and they got married. Of course, Dryden must have felt…well, I don't know how he felt because he never told me. He seems afraid of me or something, even though he did help with the reconstruction and did bring Nestor to Fanelia. But anyways, I imagine it must have been pretty hard for him. King Aston passed away a few months later. Eries gave up her right to the throne and resigned herself to a convent. So Millerna became queen, and Allen is now…King of Asturia."  
  
"Wow!" Hitomi mumbled through her food. "From knight to king. Good for him. I'm happy for him. Hey, doesn't Allen have a little sister who used to be one of Zaibach's commanders?"  
  
"Oh, yeah," Van looked down and stirred the beans uneasily. "Selena. Yeah, she…used to be Dilandau, you know…the red guymelef. Well, she's, she's good now. She'd a duchess and she seems happy living with Allen and Millerna. I haven't seen her that many times, so that's all I know." He resolved not to tell her about the "incident" that took place with Selena. It would be too difficult to explain the entire cause and effect of the story. He had hope that by the time he should return to Gaea, he would no longer be the vector of Selena's heart.  
  
"Continue, Van. Tell me about Orion and Fanelia."  
  
He looked up with brightened countenance. "Right. I've told you a little about Orion. He's great, really. I don't know what I'd do without him. He's like…another brother. And Fanelia, we're doing well. Sometimes there are problems, mainly economic. Poverty still exists so there can be thefts and riots. In terms of foreign relations, the Alliance is holding up well. There has been no major political conflict, just some arguments over money distribution. Even Zaibach is doing pretty good. We really hope this will last. I really do." He cast his eyes down in thought, and contemplated the counter forces of war and peace.  
  
"Fanelia's reconstruction was terrific, a problem here or there but nothing too serious. It looks beautiful now. We have a canal, new trees, new houses built out of stone and brick, and a new castle. I really wish," he looked at her with aching hope, "I wish you could come and see it, and meet Orion as well."  
  
"Van," she reached over and squeezed his hand. "I wish so too. But right now, we don't' even know how to get back."  
  
"So, we'll find a way. Don't worry. We've had greater dangers than this." He resumed eating.  
  
A moment of silence ensued but it was not awkward or numbing, rather poetic. Hitomi searched her mind for more questions and came across the one point of intense curiosity that she has so long kept. Yet the sensitive nature of the question held her back until she resolved to ease into it.  
  
"Politics must be stressful, huh?" she asked casually.  
  
"It can be, but it's my duty. I shouldn't complain."  
  
"Van," she leaned forward and inhaled deeply to gain strength. "Have you had any…proposals?"  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?" he looked alarmed.  
  
"Oh, you know, marriage proposals. Or did anyone kiss you or anything?" she winked playfully.  
  
"Oh, um…well…no. None that I know of." He blushed boyishly. "Besides, why would anyone want to marry me, other than for the status? Hitomi, you know I'd never…"  
  
"I know, I know." She interrupted with a smile and went over to sit on his lap. Van became tense with agitation and certain helplessness. "I'm not questioning your fidelity. If you had fallen in love with someone else, I'd have known anyways. It's just that I'm curious, and also, you're a king, and a…" her cheeks were flushed, "a handsome one. Surely someone must have…"  
  
She noticed his incredibly startled and roseate expression, showing embarrassment more unbearable than her own. "Oh…has no one ever told you that?"  
  
"Well," he answered under his breath, "maybe, but I don't really know. Actually, my mother did. But you've never…"  
  
"It goes without saying." She got off his lap and tapped the tip of his nose playfully. However, a twinge arose deep inside her. Despite all the love she holds for him, it hurt her to realize that he still felt doubts about the truth and constancy of such immense love, that he was not always aware that he is loved. He should have felt loved throughout his life, and nothing could justify the lack.  
  
In extreme nervousness, Van resumed cutting his food; the knife and fork clattered against the plate. Hitomi observed how carefully Van divided the food into tiny pieces before consuming them. The image of the often rough and laid-back young man, who cared little for etiquette, was incongruous with impeccable table manners. "Van, your plate is so neat. You even cut the bread, why?"  
  
"Oh, it's because when I was little, I was a messy eater. Mother always had to clean up after me. She told me a little prince should be polite and have good table manners. I didn't want to disappoint her so I tried, by cutting everything into neat pieces. It sort of got stuck as a habit." His previous embarrassment calmed into a sad smile, reflecting on his travel back in time. Before he could decide whether or not to tell her all about it, she has already proposed a walk in the woods, to pick some berries.  
  
Hand in hand, and holding small baskets, they set off to explore the arcadia that is Serenus.  
  
The daylight was already approaching noon, lending a clear view of the environment. Down the small valley in which Cyprus lived, ran a meandering silver belt of a river. On the right side of the river, lay a wood that flowed over the eastern hill and connected with the forest of the next vale where they had first been transported. The left side of the river was a hill that escalated into a small cliff that enabled a waterfall to flow from a large river in the upper plain, to the small dale, collecting into a pool before joining with the narrower river. Beyond the wood, the water gushed out to mingle with the dazzling sea, blanketed with white, warm sand.  
  
A gentle zephyr swept across the sky, quickly dispersing the loitering clouds that hugged the dome with their softness. Holding Van's hand, Hitomi ran, and they streamed down with the wind, towards the forest. Languor quitted their limbs for now, weariness left their brows and existence never felt so winged, so transcendent, as if they ceased to exist inside human bounds entirely. They instantly understood that it was thus to live, to rise above self and world, even if it be ever so transient. In both of their hearts rang the resolution to live in pulses stirred by kindness, by deeds of great rectitude, moments of joyful calm that amount to hours, days, years, lifetimes, eternities. Therefore mortality is rendered irrelevant. To live thus is paradise: to make the undying music of the soul. They traversed the ground, hand in hand, mind in mind, as Adam and Eve, the parents of humanity, roamed the garden of Eden, ere they begot the destructive knowledge of good and evil…  
  
Their awareness of each other increased alongside their observation of the environment. Hitomi smiled quietly when she saw that Van was no longer wearing his girdle, and had left the sword in the cottage, relieving himself of the burden of violence and conflict which had been a nemesis created by his own seared soul. She had prayed for this day, the day when Van lived as a truly free being, unshackled of the past.  
  
Meanwhile, Van was agitating himself with the view of Hitomi, a magnificent combination of youthful vivacity and refined beauty. Her hair had always been kept at the same length, the long bangs held back by a pair of glittering butterfly clips, allowing a full display of her delicate and pale face. Her child-like and natural features have been rendered more majestic by her recent sufferings. She possessed a solitary charm that neither her past nor her future can effect. Her taut body has settled naturally into womanhood, with slender white legs that stretched down from a proportional body framed with fitting clothes. All 5'5 of her sent Van into a riotous, aching fancy of which he felt embarrassed. It would yet be a while before he acknowledged the existence of "desire" in himself.  
  
As they entered the tranquil wood, Van stopped short, and pulled Hitomi towards him. "Hitomi, I…" he proceeded slowly. "I can't believe I actually found you. I mean, I was really resolved to go to the Mystic Moon with Escaflowne. But I was just taken here, to you. It's so…" Hitomi wrapped her arms around him, and placed her head on his chest. There was no need for such phrases as "It was a miracle" or "We are meant to be together." Words of this kind are promises after all, and promises are, like the line "I love you", often uttered in half confusion and half deceit, with no faith in the heart as the source of constant light. The crescent of joy bloomed into a full circle.  
  
With the calm born out of each other's embrace, in silence, they noticed the song of woodland birds, so melodic that it seemed to play an actual composition. They advanced further. The sense of the divine niceness of the place that they felt uncomfortable about at first, had now entranced them, making their hearts its home. Sunlight was scattered by the foliage which, blown by the wind, played a dance of shadow and light on the scintillating grass, so lush and evenly cut for a wild forest. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Hitomi caught a glimpse of a moving object. They turned hastily and beheld a gentle, glowing creature. Its ivory framework of four sturdy limbs gave it graceful balance. Its coat of immaculate white diffused a beam that collected into the horn on its forehead, a sharp moonlit tower above its soft, wondering eyes. Upon its sculptured body, brushed with its silver mane, were furled two gigantic white wings, the radiant agents of magical flight. It noticed them also and in all majesty, bowed its head before dashing off into the forest. Hitomi immediately began a rhapsody of expressions, marvelling at the heavenly creature that is both a unicorn and a Pegasus. Van then understood what mythological creatures are, since dragons were for him common inhabitants of Gaea.  
  
They strolled a little further before coming across a rich verdure with a small opening into the azure zenith, and encircled by berry bushes. With their baskets, they set to work plucking the magical fruits that bore the extraordinary colors of gold, silver, sea blue and lilac, glowing beneath the radiant sun. After completing their task, they came to the centre of the verdant dell and sat back against back, eating the succulent berries that melted sweetly in their mouths. Hitomi surveyed the sylvan surrounding and her previous speculation about its surreal and mystic nature led her into a meditation, an attempt to order everything into a coherent whole. Van contemplated the same thing but because of the mysterious and soul-shaking "travels" he experienced lately, he dismissed the idea that this was a dream. Too real, all too real. He was glad.  
  
Hitomi finally spoke in a low, steady tone, as if fearing the place itself might overhear. "Van, do you suppose, perhaps that…this is…paradise?"  
  
"Paradise? As in the perfect world?" he swallowed hard upon the conclusion, the same one he has ventured to make in his own mind.  
  
"Yeah, the perfect world. It can't be heaven, because we're not dead. It must be…perfect, at least in comparison to where we came from. Wait," she jumped suddenly, "maybe all this is deceptive, maybe there is some secret evil that we just haven't encountered."  
  
"I don't know though. When I was at the market this morning, I didn't notice anything unusual, or bad. Everyone is just like Cyprus. They're simple, kind people. Not only did they not fear me, a foreigner, they even greeted me and welcomed me. Cyprus was telling the truth, there is no money. They just exchange goods and no one is ever greedy. Their items are simple also, just household or farming material. I didn't sense hypocrisy, and you know how I am, I just don't feel danger here. All there is, is a sense of magic and mystique, but given everything we've seen so far, that's not surprising."  
  
Hitomi took a moment to gather her thoughts. "I trust your instincts, Van, and I trust my own intuition. So," she inhaled deeply, "this must be paradise."  
  
"Hmm…" Van grunted slightly. "How pathetic our homelands seem by comparison." He grieved upon the thought that his beloved Fanelia may never reach the state of perfection. Like the elusiveness of the chosen few who live under Love's wings, some worlds are mysteriously given a heavenly state, while others burn and wither under the yoke of evil. Human nature comes closest to explaining the enigma.  
  
"You know, on Earth, we have all these myths and stories about paradise. It has many names, like Eden, Utopia or Arcadia. Then there's Hyperborea, a myth from the ancient civilization of Greece. It's about immortal beings who inhabited a land inaccessible by land or sea, a world of everlasting bliss and spring, where no disease, toil or warfare ever inflict the Hyperboreans' peace. Sounds rather like Serenus."  
  
Van mused upon the myth. She loves the Mystic Moon, he realized sadly. For all its bad, it will always be her home. Ever since she undertook archaeology, her passion for the history of her world heightened and the glory of lost civilizations flowed in her veins. She belongs there. Not on Gaea, not with me. Yet the two are not completely separate worlds – Atlanteans from the Mystic Moon created Gaea, therefore they're forever connected by the same power source, the same blood. He tried to comfort himself with this thought, but it was ineffectual, because he was convinced that she would go home in the end.  
  
Hitomi sensed his despair with a strange certainty about the reason. "Van," she reached backward for his hand, "Why are you feeling this way? Let me ask you this: did you believe in paradise before?"  
  
"Not really," he answered weakly. "At least not as a physical place. I've always thought paradise is a state of mind. Like when someone is happy, paradise is there. Or when I'm with you…" he turned around and gazed at her.  
  
"Exactly my sentiment!" she turned and leaned on his shoulder. " So paradise is really everywhere because you are. We really can't be separated. Serenus is like a representation of what we feel." They adjusted their bodies a little so that embrace became the most natural, the primary position in life.  
  
"Van, you know, when I was on Earth for the past five years, I've missed you so much, all the time. I was in a lot of pain. I know you were too. I really wish I could have stayed in Fanelia with you, but I…" she stopped to wipe her tears. "Oh, I just remembered, I wrote a poem for you about a year ago, and I found it this morning in my bag. Here, read it," she reached in her pocket and handed him a small piece of paper, folded over three times. With religious care, he opened it and read:  
  
Love's Immanence  
  
Vast though the sky may be, I still see thee,  
  
Amid the gilded glow of our setting star;  
  
I hear thee in the breeze upon the sea,  
  
And thy soul reaches to me from afar.  
  
Away we soar, in the deep calm of night,  
  
Towards the world that hangs with constant wings  
  
In luminous clusters of surreal light,  
  
Where enduring souls hear the aeon sings.  
  
Now I think of thee, in silence forlorn,  
  
And from thy wings, there floats down a feather,  
  
A promise that till no stars are reborn,  
  
By the sunpillar, we are together.  
  
Van held his breath as the words entered his soul. "Hitomi, you're obviously better at poetry than I am," he tried to laugh a little to release the pain. "We will always be together." It was voiced as both a question and an affirmation.  
  
"Why can't things just…" she looked up at him and implored for something. He wondered what power could make those deep and wistful eyes blaze forth in such a fire; she wondered the same about his immense eyes.  
  
"Van, can you do me a favour? It's kind of a weird request, so if you don't want to, I'd understand."  
  
"Okay, what is it?" he answered gently, hoping it would be within his ability.  
  
"Well, it's just that I really want to," she stood up and proceeded carefully, "I want to see your…wings…again."  
  
"Huh?" for a moment, he stood dumb in shock and confusion, doubting whether anyone could ever really love draconian wings, which were symbols of destruction and mutations of nature.  
  
"Look," there was desperation in her voice, "I know what the Gaeans think about draconians, but I don't…"  
  
Before she could explain further, Van suddenly stood up, took off his shirt and unfurled his expansive ivory wings. They shone with such immeasurable luminosity and perfection that Hitomi gaped in admiration. The sunlight became almost blinding against the whiteness. Their pendant glowed in unison. He stood before her, as he did five years ago, with some shame, some hurtful memories and a need to expose himself to her, or perhaps even to make himself vulnerable, and hoping she'd justify all his weaknesses for him. Single feathers flew in fairy lightness, but she sensed the sadness in them. She walked up to him and with trembling fingers, touched his wings, and felt a certain power flow from her fingertips to her entire body.  
  
"The feathers, they kept Hope alive, for all these years. They showed me that you are always there. Life has been so unfair to you, Van. You deserve so much…my angel…" she began to choke on her tears.  
  
With no more doubts, no more cares, Van drew her in and embraced her till he thought the tight proximity must have been suffocating her. He then led her into the shade and they rested against a tree, her head upon his chest. Thus, they fell asleep. His wings closed in around them, blanketing their intermingled bodies.  
  
If any fairies tiptoed by this quiet dell at this time, they would behold the most extraordinary sight. They'd see two fair beings, couched in each other's arms, beneath a whispering dome of leaves, in the scented air. They lay calmly breathing, dreaming of the future joy of their aurorean love. These fairies, who have travelled through all the worlds in the universe and knew all mystic things, would think the winged boy to be Eros, the god of Love, the only deity with angelic wings because Love alone can take flight. Enfolded in his arms, slept his Psyche - the butterfly, the soul.  
  
Gravity, the universal force, upholds the planets and stars, binds all things in place, produces space-time, and draws one to another. It is a manifestation of Eros, who gives cohesion to all places and reason for all things to be. Unknown to most mortals, Eros has two brothers, born of Venus: Anteros, the god of unrequited love, and Pothos, the god of desire and sexual energy. Because of what they represent, they have retreated into myth or into the hearts of foolish and infidel men. The fairies would never mistaken Eros for his brothers. He is the primary god, the first to be created after earth and sky, born out of the golden, pure air of dawn. His love, the Olympian Psyche, a mortal destined for immortality, once heard in her dreams the echoes of Love and sought for him in the sky. When through the stormy season of human suffering she has gone, iridescent butterfly wings sprouted from her back and she soared with Love to Serenus, leaving behind Anteros and Pothos to rule the earthly. Those who follow in their flight may crash to the ground, and will suffer immensely, but they must fly on, even in death, for Eros will fold his healing wings over them, and Psyche will give their souls endless resurrections. Eventually, a new world will be born.  
  
……….  
  
By the time Van and Hitomi woke up, the sun was already brushing the horizon. They gathered their baskets, and exited the forest, in time to see the first unveiling of the evening star. It hung in the silent depth of space, burning at an immeasurable brightness, surging forth its silver flames through eternity. As they approached the cottage, they heard the rolling of wheels from above. They looked up and beheld the most stunning and dramatic sight: a flying chariot, pulled by four silver dragons with diaphanous wings, and in it stood a moonlit lady, cloaked in a shimmering gown. Hitomi shook Van's arm in daunt, and he nodded in response. The land lying before the chariot was in faint light, but once the chariot passed over it, a gauzy shroud of black immediately fell upon it, and the stars, planets suddenly became bright in the darkness above. The metaphysical had become the tangible; the poetic became the literal.  
  
No word could express their awe, so they gaped for a while before entering the cottage. Cyprus was already hard at work by the stove. In dread, Van noticed that Cyprus was using his sword as a cutting knife.  
  
"Hey! That's the royal sword!" he grabbed it back despite feeling the humour in all this.  
  
"Sorry, lad. Good knife! Where's yous been? It be dark out."  
  
"We got berries for you. Oh, and we saw a chariot in the sky!" Hitomi said, still laughing at Cyprus's desecration of the sword. The way Van sat cleaning the blade with a cloth was even more hilarious, since it reminded her of something positively Freudian.  
  
"Ah, yes, that be Goddess of the Night. Well, now be night. Dinner soon. You go clean up. Waterfall and river be good places for bath. You, lad, help cook!" Cyprus threw some vegetables onto Van's lap.  
  
"Hey, but I don't know how…"  
  
"You'll be fine, Van." Hitomi went over, laid a hand on his shoulder and tapped his cheek. "If you can fight in battles, surely you can cook a meal! Well, I'm gonna go take a shower by the waterfall."  
  
"Oh, do you want me to come with you?" he stood halfway out of his seat.  
  
"No, Van!" she yelled with a laugh, ridiculing his perfect candidness. "Van, I'll be taking a bath, of course you can't come." His face reddened. "Besides, it's really safe here, so don't worry, just do your cooking." He looked up with child-like eyes and watched her go into the bedroom, then reluctantly began peeling the cabbage. As Hitomi went out with her towels, she could have sworn she heard Van mumbling complaints under his breath.  
  
After a short while, Cyprus concluded that Van messed up more than he helped, so he dismissed him. With flour all over his hands, shirt and face, Van grumpily grabbed a towel from the room and set out for the waterfall.  
  
By the glimmer of the huge "moons" and the beams that draped down from the stars, Van walked easily along the bank until he reached the cliff where the waterfall was. Some trees, bushes and rocks gathered around the pool into which the cascade poured. At first he approached with caution, fearing he would stumble across Hitomi in an "inappropriate" situation. When he got closer, he noticed there was no sound of someone taking a bath in the water. Suspicion and anxiety arose. He pushed away a branch in order to see better, and suddenly saw someone leaning motionless against a rock. A bush blocked the body so only the back of the head was visible. But from the hair, he knew it was her.  
  
Fear stomped like a destructive demon in his mind, and despite feeling weak unexpectedly, he darted forth. As he reached out to touch her head, he yelled pitifully, "Hitomi!"  
  
The body jolted and turned around. She lay completely with no clothes on; the water shone a waving light onto her white body. She screamed upon seeing him just standing there and staring at her with gaping mouth. "Van! What do you think you're doing? Go away!" she pulled her clothes in front of her. "You scared me! I was just resting and thinking. Why didn't you make a sound?"  
  
"I-I," a distorted and tortured expression was discernible on his face, even through the crimson shade. He continued stuttering as he backed away, his eyes still fixed on her, interrupted by successions of short, quick blinks. "I'm…I'm…sorry. I-I," suddenly, his foot slipped on the wet ground and he fell backwards into the river. The splash of the water was followed by Hitomi's laughter.  
  
"Oh my goodness, Van, are you okay?" She speedily went over, with her clothes already back on. "Look, you're all wet!" She bent down and studied him, sitting waist-deep in water, his wet hair dripping down strings of dew onto his flustered face.  
  
"Awww, you look so adorable like this!" she giggled.  
  
"I'm soaked," he grunted through his bangs.  
  
"Here," she reached her hand down to help him up, as she had always done. She then began drying him with her towel.  
  
In bashfulness, Van quickly grabbed the towel away. "I-I can do it myself."  
  
"Van, I don't mind, you know, that you saw me. It's better you than anyone else." She inched closer to him. "Besides, I'm as good as yours."  
  
His eyes widened in disbelief, not so much at her statement but at the shuddering discovery that deep in his mind, he has often wished for her to say this, for this moment. That menacing intensity called desire began pounding within him and the heat burned him until he felt he was melting to the ground. As she came up to him, he backed up until he was against a tree.  
  
Hitomi was no less awkward than he at new and intimate things. She surprised not only him, but also herself. She was forward, only because it was with him – there shouldn't be any questions with him, not with the one. She desired his touch, his warmth, yet she somewhat abhorred such lust born out of adolescence. She always felt chastity a thing to be cherished. But it was irresistible. They held each other as they've never done before. He kissed her cheek and her neck. However, at the moment before complete immersion, he resisted.  
  
"Hitomi, I…I can't…we just," he pushed her away gently. "It's just that…" he fixed his shirt and sighed wretchedly.  
  
She was hurt, not because he resisted, but because she shared his pain. "I know. If it happened, we'd never be able to say good-bye again, right? Our bond would be so much stronger that it would kill us to be apart." He nodded slightly. "It's okay. You did the right thing."  
  
He felt ashamed to look at her. How loving she had been to be willingly intimate with his unworthy self, and how magnanimous she was in thus forgiving his stupidity. "I'm sorry, Hitomi." He thought she would do the womanly and sensible thing by turning away in anger, but instead she held his hand and led him clear of the trees and bushes.  
  
"Look, Van," she pointed upwards, "the stars are dancing. I've always wanted to go stargazing with you. Remember, we had a dream about that once. Come on!" She laid the towels down on the riverbank and beckoned him to lie down beside her. He half-fell on to the ground, and realized that the soil, like the water, had been lukewarm. The fragrant evening air and the amphitheatre of heaven quickly dissipated his previous blunder.  
  
"You know, on Earth, there's this painting we have by an artist named Van Gogh. It's called 'The Starry Night' and it looks just like this. It's my favorite." Van turned and saw the glitter in her eyes, the delight in her voice. He reached for her hand. They will remain forever linked in the middle.  
  
Around Earth and Gaea, the so-called Serenusian moons, was a halo of iridescent luminosity. The gossamer clouds swept the starlit dome with their tranquility. Some stars had multiple colours. One was coloured like the energist and its light rained through the plumes of night like a shower of roseate dew. Van fixated on another star, reminiscent of the singular glow in Hitomi's eyes.  
  
The green star burned its emerald beams that sprinkled splendor down on to the grass. It is the spirit that guides the other stars through their celestial journey. Constellations from near and far call it the loveliest lodestar. It sometimes rides the mists of evening and dapples the lakes with its light. Sometimes it wanders into people's dreams or smiles down upon a vale as it did now.  
  
"See that star right there?" Van pointed to his lodestar. "It reminds me of you."  
  
"Really? It reminds me of Fanelia. Such beautiful green."  
  
"Well, too bad, I saw it first," he said boyishly. "I'm going to name it after you."  
  
"What!" she giggled.  
  
""Yes, from now on, that will be our very own star. It'll be called star Hitomi."  
  
She turned over and leaned on him. "Awww, Van, so you can be romantic," she said half-jokingly and tickled his stomach.  
  
"Hey, stop that!" The star seemed to drop down a little, and thanked them, thus making itself a beacon of…  
  
"Van?" she whispered into his shirt, uncertain if he'd be irritated with so many questions in one day.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you miss your family?"  
  
Images flashed before him and he held his breath. Hitomi could hear his heart racing vehemently. "Of course," he exhaled. "My mother, father, Folken and Balgus. Sometimes I'm scared that they'd forget me. I feel insecure about our family history, you know, the conflict with Folken. And I swear mother always loved him more. When he disappeared, she couldn't bear it. I promised her I'd be a good king but I just wasn't enough." He winced a little.  
  
Hitomi recognized his disclosure and sadness as signs of inner strength. "Van, I'm sure that's not true."  
  
"Well, maybe. But in the end, I'll always miss them, until we can be together again."  
  
"Will we?" she saddened suddenly and sighed. "When I left Earth, my mother's and brother's lives were hanging in the air. But now I feel that," she clutched on to Van, " they're together with my dad, in heaven. I'm not with them…"  
  
He felt her tears seeping through his shirt. All the beauty and laughter of the day did not erase her pain in the end. He held her close and stroked her hair, but he was conscious that the agony may be chased away temporarily but it will remain steadily.  
  
"I wonder why," she said with a lapse of tone, "why it had to happen to us. I miss them so much, as I had missed you. I miss Yukari too, and my home. I even miss Folken. Why do I always have to be missing someone? I found you but I lost them. The bad fate never stopped, did it, Van? It didn't stop with Dornkirk. It'll go on forever, wouldn't it?"  
  
Despair once seemed insurmountable, fate ineluctable, but having seen his family again after their deaths, he knew he must have faith. "Hitomi, it's not like that. I don't know exactly what fate is or why things happen, but it isn't all that hopeless. They're just in a different world; perhaps they're even better off than we are. What if we're the ones who are dead? But anyways, we will be together again, I know it. The two of us found each other, didn't we?"  
  
"Deep down, I know you're right." Her sobbing ceased. The black hole had been fanned away by angel wings and she was no longer in danger of being consumed. "Yes, of course, they'll always be here. Seeing the stars, I feel their presence, somehow."  
  
"I do too. I guess…it's Love"  
  
"Yeah. Not death. But I still need time though, to cope with all this."  
  
"Of course you do. Even eternity takes time."  
  
She closed her eyes and breathed into him. The aroma of the meadows that diffused from him gave her the strength to hope and believe. On the shore after the tempest, when all is lost except a little life, Hope alone rises above and sows the seed of Love.  
  
"There's this poet," she finally remembered something she wanted to tell him, "named Shelley, from a country called England. Well, he once wrote 'Fate, Time, Occasion, Chance and Change: to these all things are subject but Eternal Love.' The lovers in the story are rather like us – their love ended hatred and a war. They…" her thoughts faded off into unexpected tranquility.  
  
"Eternal Love…" Van mused upon the idea and inhaled deeply. "Hitomi, I…"  
  
"Shh," she placed a finger over his lips, "I know you do. Surely you and I are beyond words. Besides, we should let Eternity just exist and let it remain mysterious."  
  
In stillness, together they gazed at two central stars that danced around one another, forming an orbit in the shape of the infinity sign.  
  
They are binary stars, twin spheres of light, which orbit each other perpetually. They dart magnetic might into the central heart which they share, the point at which they're bound by mutual gravity. Their light mingles and blends into one luminous whole, and every movement they make in their orbital dance is in harmonious unison, inspiring all other stars to follow in their celestial path. The clear space they hang in is stirred by soft music echoing from the deep, and washed by azure oceans of youthful air. At times, one of the stars passes in front of the other, and with this stellar eclipse, the two distinct spheres mingle, transfigure and become one.  
  
Van and Hitomi looked up at the star stuff and were conscious that they themselves were composed of star material also. They felt moved to be at one with the cosmos, to have the heavenly by their side. Van's mind focused on the past and future he had seen, on the near and far. He felt they were descendants of some endless lineage. Hitomi knew that even stars can die, but they can always be reborn out of the same material that burst from them at their deaths. Even if they do vanish eventually, their lifespan of billions, billions of years is eternity enough for humans. Such relative permanence felt so real, so reassuring. And even if all else fades, the universe itself remains infinite and everlasting.  
  
Gravity binds the binary stars together. It is gravity that enables the moon to orbit the Earth, and the Earth in turn to orbit its Sun. Time also, depends on gravity.  
  
……….  
  
Orion sat in solitude at the edge of the tiny tree house he and Van built for Merle. He had a full view of the city. He mused upon the amphitheatre that is his homeland, playing its repertoire of lively citizen life. Children splashed water in the straight, shimmering river, the flowing vein of Fanelia. Merchants hollered in the market, women gossiped in the shops, labourers sang on the worksite. He looked towards Fidell, on top the Fanelian Hill and imagined Merle to be roaming the schoolyard with her students. He recalled his childhood spent in the forest beyond the hill, wild days when he hunted with his guardian, Centurion, and played with his hound, Draco. There was so much life back then as there was now. In the face of such vitality, one could doubt whether death existed at all.  
  
He lay himself down on the balcony of the tree house and studied the moving sky. Are you out there, Van? It has been two days, and anxiety began arising in his caring heart. He knew Van was safe and that he had found her but he yearned for the return of his dear friend. Van is more than a friend. Orion saw and loved in Van a hero, a king, a philosopher, a genius. He held faith for many people but what he had for Van borders on a religion. All of Gaea – at least, most of Gaea – shared the same sentiment. Van is the soul of Peace, the life of Life.  
  
Grey clouds began crowding over Fanelia, obscuring the blue serenity behind. Rain trickled down, like watery serpents wept by some gigantic creature. One drop fell directly into Orion's right eye, stinging him irritably. He has always felt ambivalent towards rain. He could never decide whether it cleanses the earth, leaving it wet and fresh, or whether it washes everything away, including the good. A deluge soon followed.  
  
Just when he was about to turn inside for shelter, a stout soldier came sprinting and yelling. "Commander! Commander!"  
  
"What is it, Strom?"  
  
"We've," he tried to catch his breath, "we've received an emergency message from Asturia. Nestor bids you go at once to the conference room."  
  
Alarmed, Orion swiftly jumped down from the tree and rushed nervously into the room, where all the lords of the Fanelian council stood in great chaos, discussing agitatedly.  
  
"General Orion," old Nestor came up with woeful eyes. "An express message just came from Asturia for the king. But he's gone to the Mystic Moon, hasn't he?" He began pacing. "Oh dear, oh dear. We didn't dare open a personal letter of the king's. But it's stamped with a red seal, which means trouble. It means war, sir. We thought you should open it, since you're the General of the Army, Commander of the Samurais and the king's closest companion."  
  
Without a word, Orion stomped towards the trembling Nestor, ripped the letter from him, opened it and read aloud:  
  
"Dear Van,  
  
An old friend desperately needs your help. A few hours ago, Palas was attacked by strange looking guymelefs. They don't look like Zaibach ones. They bombed our harbours, destroyed our storehouses, and barricaded our perimeters. Some of my people have managed to escape to the mountains and journey over to you via the highway. The rest of us are stranded here. The royal family will soon be imprisoned. Please send help. You're our only hope.  
  
His Majesty, Allen Crusade Schezar."  
  
"Oh, heavens!" Nestor fell into a chair, and the room arose in a tumult of fright, exclamations and questions.  
  
Orion crumbled the paper in his fist and unforeseen fire burned within him. "Silence!" he commanded and the room died into stillness, disturbed only by the chattering of someone's teeth. "I know the king isn't here, but that does not mean we're not going to help our ally in need. Don't panic and listen up. You can either go with my plan or sit and do nothing. Here's what we're going to do."  
  
He placed both hands firmly on the table and commenced his string of orders with authority. "Nestor, get someone to send a message to all our allies, and inform them of our situation, get them to send information and back-up. Then I want you to go with Lord Perrin and Lord Kailan to evacuate the citizens of Fidell into Palladium. Set up tents in both cities. See to it that everyone is alerted and that they stay inside buildings. Lord Ethedon, begin gathering food and medical material and make the main lounge of the palace the central emergency station. Lord Ansias, start allocating the royal fund for all necessary provisions. The rest of you are responsible for keeping order and please…help the people. Captain Galas!" he called out towards the hall, and in came a soldier. "Galas, begin recruiting new soldiers. No coercion, you understand? Take them to Fidell after the citizens have been evacuated. Train them there. Use all weapons. Now send Commander Strom in."  
  
An austere looking samurai ran in and saluted Orion. "Listen, Strom, I want you to order all the garrisons out to guard our borders. Take all the archers. If there's anything unusual, send a message to Nestor right away. But first, you must prep all the warriors and melef units. I'll be leading them into Asturia. Go!"  
  
Orion seemed to have shouted all this in one breath thus he felt somewhat faint. He took charge, because he had to. He had to. Nestor staggered up to him with weary steps. "Don't worry, Nestor, Van will return soon. Everything will be alright." Everyone was too confused and scared to disobey orders, so the council disbanded. They all hurried to their task, leaving the room in grave stagnancy.  
  
Orion's' blood raced within him. Will it be all right? All his philosophy of hope and courage was now called into a life-death challenge. For the first time, he doubted if his faith was strong enough to begin with. His blue eyes blackened as he opened a window, and stared hatefully at the ominous clouds that draped as if in mockery of the sorrow-soaked earth beneath. He pressed his damp cold hair down with his hand that trembled as if it were palsied. He finally decided that he hates rain. Before running out, he yelled to the thundering sky, "Van, where are you? Come back! We need you! Come back!"  
  
……….  
  
"Orion!" Van bolted upright on the riverbank, as if waking from a nightmare. Cold sweat ran down his gaunt, wan face that looked spectral due to his fright.  
  
"What's wrong, Van?" Hitomi sat up and stroked his arm.  
  
"It's Orion. Something's wrong in Fanelia. Hitomi, I just know it. He sent me this really strong feeling." Van stood up and paced around feverishly. She followed in a fluster, gathering the towels up as she did.  
  
"What am I to do, Hitomi? I don't know what exactly is going on? Wait!" he halted and held her by the shoulders. "I hate to ask this but I have to: can you do a reading?"  
  
"No, I'm sorry, I don't have my Tarot cards with me. Oh, wait, I do have the Ra-Maat cards. I was studying them. Maybe we could try those."  
  
'C'mon!" he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward, sprinting towards the cottage. Cyprus was warned not to disturb tem. As Hitomi was setting up the bed for the reading and digging the deck out of her bag, she explained: "They're from ancient Egypt, one of the oldest civilizations on Earth. The Tarot came from these. Ra is the sun god, Maat the goddess of truth and justice. They'll guide us. Here, give me your hand, and concentrate."  
  
They closed their eyes and sought the strength of their cosmic allies. The pendant swung in rhythm. Hitomi whispered an ancient Egyptian blessing she learned and called out to the remote but immanent spirits. Finally, they entered her psyche and she began shuffling the cards in a rush, picked some out and laid them in a pattern.  
  
"Okay, here goes. I'll be completely honest with you." She inhaled deeply. "There are thirteen cards, divided into past, present and future. In the past…hmm, I think this mainly describes who you are. There has been great loss and destruction in your past, radical and sudden events that forced you to grow stronger. In dealing with these problems you often acted impulsively but in the end, your instincts proved to be trustworthy, which is why, here, you get the card of Osiris, the king of gods. He represents inherent fairness, honor, and leadership. You're someone who is private and firm in public but affectionate at home." She flashed a smile at him. "Okay, in the present, there's…oh boy…the Beginning card, that's not necessarily good. It means our road is ill defined and we should take caution. The Burden card – there are great responsibilities and emotional demands. Oh, the…the Karma card…at the very centre…"she looked at him anxiously. "It means the past will return, things will be as they were written and what we do now will affect out future." She stopped and sighed.  
  
"It's okay, go on. You can do it."  
  
"I'm sorry, it's just…things don't look good. My old readings with the Tarot always came true, and I don't want this to…"  
  
"It won't. We defeated it before, remember?"  
  
'Well, yeah…I guess. Okay, here goes again. The Choice card, we face many possibilities that will affect our and other people's lives; much is demanded of us. The Scale card, the card of cause and effect, again it involves judging rightly and making an important decision. Now, moving on to the future. Ramses, the card of uncompromising authority – we will encounter someone who will unjustly force their rules upon us. The Death card, don't worry, this isn't bad. It means that there will be an end and a new beginning. It's the card of truth. The Patience card – we will encounter ambiguous and negative situations but we must not let others tell us what to do and must wait for the right time to come. Okay, the last card…the card of Twin Souls, it means…Love. Well, it's not all that bad"  
  
She fell back against the bed frame and implored for an answer in his face. But he expressed nothing except a blank stare at the cards that lay at his feet. A chill sent both of them shivering. Can divination be real anymore? Can fate still conquer? What will happen when the past returns and meets the future? Van frowned in consternation. In spontaneous resolve, he jumped down from the bed, seized her hand and hurried outside, ignoring Cyprus's friendly concerns.  
  
He stopped in front of the cottage and held the pendant fiercely. "Hitomi, we're going to try again. Gaea needs us. We're going back together. We have to. Escaflowne, please help us. Now, wish!" She held him tight as he raised the pendant above their heads. Nothing.  
  
In fury, he sprouted his wings, carried Hitomi in his arms and aimed to soar through the atmosphere and fly to Gaea. But an invisible force held its insurmountable grip on him and he beat his wings in vain. "What the heck's going on? Something's pinning me to the ground!" Finally exhausted by the futility, he let Hitomi down and fell to the ground, hanging his head in despair.  
  
"Van, calm down. Maybe…"  
  
"Lad!" Cyprus came running out with zeal. "You be a draconian? Me love wings!"  
  
"What!" Van and Hitomi yelled simultaneously.  
  
Van walked forward and asked in a dragon-like tone, "How do you know about draconians?"  
  
"Why, they live in forest by White Mountains, in Myst!" he pointed to the northwest. "Good folks. Only a few though. They be friends with Ispano clan. Ispano come from spiral up there," he pointed to the gyrating magenta galaxy that served as a gateway between Earth and Gaea. "They trade with us. If you want home, draconians help you. I take you tomorrow. Half-day ride – we get flying horse in market. Draconians have Numen, very powerful."  
  
"What did you…" Van proceeded with a sense of horror, Hitomi wanted to turn away from the impending truth. "Did you just say Numen?"  
  
"Yes, yes. Calls himself Aleph Avalantis."  
  
~ End of Part IV ~  
  
  
  
Here's a little preview of what's to come in the next chapter: Van and Hitomi meet the Numen, who reveals to them secrets of their past lives in Atlantis, as well as their future destiny. He introduces them to a female draconian who has lived since the beginning of time – she played an important role in Van's past. A difficulty occurs between Van and Hitomi because of what the Numen told them. The female draconian helps them return to Gaea.  
  
Hope you continue reading! 


	5. Unfathomable Sea

Gaea Regained Here is something I should have mentioned earlier - for those of you who don't know, the word "Numen" means a presiding deity or a Gnostic god (Gnosticism is close to Mysticism); also, I've changed the numen's name from Avalantis to Aleph (this chapter explains). Confused? Don't worry, so are Van and Hitomi.  
  
Unfathomable Sea Our destiny, our being's heart and home, Is with infinitude, and only there; With hope it is, hope that can never die Effort, and expectation, and desire, And something evermore about to be. William Wordsworth, "The Prelude"  
  
The spectral illumination of moonshine created a misty halo around everything. On the bed stand next to where Van slept, lay Hitomi's Ra-Maat deck. The Eye of Horus existed on the back of each card, and in the unstained light, it looked alive and blinking, its vision beaming into the inscrutable future.  
  
Even in sleep, Van's brows were knitted in agony and confusion. His body was slightly slanted towards Hitomi, who seemed equally anxious in her dormancy. His head leaned against her shoulder.  
  
Suddenly, Van's body jolted in shock and he instinctively lifted up his right arm and slammed it down on the small bed stand. It fell and along with it went the deck of cards, scattered chaotically on the dark ground. The Eye closed.  
  
The thunderous clatter of the stand invaded Hitomi's sleep, which was on the edge anyways. She sat up and gazed down at the mortified Van who was slowly rising up his languid body. "Van, what was that? What's the matter?"  
  
He inhaled deeply and blinked his sore eyes in rapid successions. "It was this nightmare," he finally said lethargically. "But it felt so real, so familiar somehow. I think you were there also. We were in Atlantis, just like we saw in the Mystic Valley. There we were surrounded by draconians.."  
  
"Who were wearing armours and were ready to attack us."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I just had the same dream, Van. You were wearing these strange looking robes. The warriors closed in on us. It was terrifying. And why does it feel like we've experienced it before?"  
  
"I don't know." He looked out the window and felt an impenetrable immensity of darkness weighing down on the both of them, continually lowering its tenebrous mass toward the earth. "I just don't know."  
  
"Why are we here anyways?" A silent void ensued.  
  
"Ah!" Van let out a sudden groan and gripped his chest as if in physical pain.  
  
"Van! What's wrong?" she tremulously supported him by the arm.  
  
"It's okay, I'm alright. It's just that, Escaflowne.it's moving."  
  
(In flustered madness, Orion ran to his own room, eager to commence his rescue plan. But after seeing the black box, which held the energist, with its red seal broken, he turned towards Van's room, taking off his white shirt on the way. He flung open Van's closet and grabbed one of Van's red shirts and khaki riding pants and quickly slipped into them. The blood red of the shirt brought out the fierce blue of his eyes, impeccably pure and gazing unblinkingly at human frailty. It is thus easy to imagine Orion firmly directing an enterprise in a momentous crisis.  
  
As he headed out the castle, Nestor's frantic voice, mixed with joy and pain, restrained him. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Thank goodness you've returned!"  
  
Orion halted and turned abruptly. "Nestor, it's me."  
  
The old man's grey face shaded to confusion and disappointment. "Oh, commander! But why are you in the king's clothes?"  
  
"Well, its' simply to boost the troop's morale. From far away, I could probably pass as Van. We can't very well have the people know that our leader is gone at such a time of need. It's just a show, waiting for Van's return. I'm also going to try to pilot the Escaflowne."  
  
"What! But you can't, only a king of Fanelia can do that! And the energist."  
  
"Don't worry, it's not like I'll usurp Van's throne. I've read about Escaflowne and Van had told me enough for me to know how to pilot it. With any luck, Escaflowne wouldn't be able to tell the difference between king and commoner," he chuckled nervously. "I think the energist is in the dell. If Van was transported by the pillar of light, it's likely the energist was left behind. Look, if I don't use Escaflowne, I'll have to go on horseback, doesn't sound too formidable, does it? You know that we've been short on melefs ever since the disarmament scheme. Just don't worry, alright?"  
  
Nestor nodded hesitantly and said with a sigh, "Good luck, sir. May the strength of Escaflowne flow within you also." Watching Orion run out of the palace and disappear into the garden, Nestor froze amidst the turmoil and prayed.  
  
Upon entering the dell, Orion saw the energist lying undisturbed yet ominous on the wet grass. He picked it up solemnly and approached the dormant dragon, partly concealed behind the branches. Perhaps his action of using Van's guymelef was a transgression, a sacrilege deserving of punishment, but in his heart he held a clear and candid purpose, unclouded by any rules or matters of right and wrong.  
  
Tremulously, he placed the energist into Escaflowne. The heart began to beat. He sighed in relief - it had accepted him, for all his plebeian blood that made him ashamed he actually masqueraded as a great king. Escaflowne opened and he leapt into the pilot seat, gripping the handles, getting ready in position.  
  
He peered out at the dell through the pilot window. Unexpectedly he was unnerved by an absolute fright, an abstract horror, not related to any physical danger, but to unendurable torment of the soul. The feeling was overpowering, inauspicious in its putrid mess, and he felt like he had bitten into a rotten corpse. It lasted for a mere fraction of a second, after which he lifted his legs and gripped the sword. The Dragon is resurrected.)  
  
"But how can it be moving?" Hitomi stroked Van's arm.  
  
"It's Orion. That's okay, I just hope that whatever is wrong will not harm him or anyone else. I really must return soon."  
  
Gently, Hitomi pulled Van towards her, and he naturally laid his head on her lap. "Tomorrow we'll see the Numen and hopefully we'll have some answers. Get some rest now."  
  
"Hitomi? After all this, will you.will you some back and stay in Fanelia with me?" The question had a tragic aspect of wild sorrow and hopelessness mingled with struggled and half-formed resolve. But he had to ask. Everything closed down to that one question.  
  
She did not answer. The ache nearly paralysed him, but he never asked again. She simply stroked his hair and sang a lullaby in Japanese, the one her mother used to sing to her when she was little. She has never sung to anyone before but all the catastrophes necessitated a lyrical rounding-off of sharp, pricking corners. They were both soothed and believed themselves, for a moment, to escape being Time's playthings. ....  
  
Serenus bore its usual august light and unspoiled harmony of the new day. Even Cyprus felt meditative beneath the vaulting dome. Without much said along the way, save Hitomi's occasional comment upon the panorama, they reached the early morning market and rented three flying horses from the kind merchants.  
  
Flying was no new adventure for Van, but Hitomi sat exhilarated upon the soft back of the Pegasus-unicorn. She placed her hands steadily on the creature's shiny mane and gazed in trepidation at the miniscule landscape beneath.  
  
They followed the silver meander of the thin river that runs through the whole of Serenus like an orbital belt. The river Freya it is called, named after the legendary Goddess of Love and Hope who guarded Atlantis. Shortly, they were in view of Myst, the region where the draconians reside. The source of Freya rose up into the glaciers of the mountains in Myst. Like bridal veils, the water falls cascaded down from the summit to irrigate the valley below where wooden houses were built among the trees. Van thought these sublime peaks were beautifully reminiscent of the Mystic Valley, also clad with snowy glittering hills, shrouded in mist that floated from some dreamland.  
  
They landed in the woods by the foot of the mountains, and Cyprus, with his dainty skips, led them towards the buildings. The scent of the forest after rain swelled to their senses, but the air was too cold to be inhaled deeply. The majestic silence of imperial Nature was broken only by falling pines and the thunder of distant avalanches, reverberating along the accumulated ice that was endlessly torn and remade by the immutable laws of Nature.  
  
A small wooden gate lay at the end of their path. Cyprus knocked excitedly and out came a modest-looking young man. He whispered something to Cyprus who then rushed into the gate and disappeared among the shrubs. The man then approached Van and Hitomi, who felt a certain comfort and security in his quiet, kind eyes. Surprisingly, he unfurled his wings and revealed his identity as a draconian.  
  
"King Van," he knelt down, "It is with utmost honour that I welcome Your Grace and Lady Hitomi to the Garden Stellifer, home of the draconians here on Serenus. My name is Damien, a direct descendant of the Numen whom I now follow," he stood up, "This way please."  
  
Van proceeded, holding Hitomi's hand. They entered a majestic garden of solitary grandeur, with small streams, fountains, pebbled paths and sculptured shrubbery. Just like a traditional Japanese garden, Hitomi thought.  
  
As they walked, Damien gave them a brief introduction. "We've been expecting you for quite a while. Good thing our old friend Cyprus managed to bring you here safely. This is a nice place; it gives us peace that unfortunately, our brothers on Gaea are not able to have. Those of us who are younger have been excited about your arrival. We've heard stories about you ever since five years ago and we've been told to prepare for this time. But of course, the Numen will explain all that to you. Here," he opened the door to the main room of the largest building. "Please wait here." Damien then left them standing in the empty space, stupefied by this strange place called Myst.  
  
"Oh, boy," Hitomi leaned against a pillar. "This is really a bundle, huh?"  
  
"I just wish we were back in Gaea again. It's all so confusing, perhaps too much for me."  
  
"Van, you've survived more than this. I have faith that we can rise above this eventually." Hitomi went over and held his arm lovingly. His wistful eyes turned to look at her and he sighed. As they stood thus in each other's arms, a wind suddenly blew upon them.  
  
Standing in the doorway, silhouetted against the white light was Avalantis, clothed in white robes, his silver beard brushing the ground. Despite his strong, cosmic presence, his ancient eyes glowed with a paternal gentleness that refrained Van from charging at him as he had planned.  
  
Instead, Van gritted his teeth and approached the stellar being. "I demand explanations," he grunted with his incorrigible stubbornness and royal stance.  
  
"Demand? Young one, there is no need to. I'm here to give you the answers," he answered in a sonorous, almost dream-like voice.  
  
'Then tell me why you separated Hitomi and I in that dream. Why did you put us through all the misery and confusion?"  
  
"Ah, Van, surely you know that by now. The purpose was to test your love and to let you experience the travels you did. Apparently, you both passed the test."  
  
"But."  
  
"Shh," he placed a finger over Van's lips. "There are more important things to discuss right now. Hitomi," he reached over and held her hand, patting it slowly. "I know the pain in your heart but I also know your faith and will to strive through all this and to understand things. I believe you can. Now," he stood in between them and guided them outside.  
  
"Before I begin to tell you a most wondrous tale, I must clarify that my full name is Avalantis Aleph. From now on, you will refer to me as Aleph, the reason being, as you know Hitomi, 'Aleph' was used by the Hebrews as the alphabet A. This signifies the primacy of my position, and my connection with the Mystic Moon and hence with you. As you've seen, I'm the one who opened the gate for you and I will be the only Numen to contact you regularly. Yes, there are others like me, powerful and immortal draconians, but they play a different role than I. Here is a nice spot." He slowly sat down on a bench by a fountain and looked up at the young couple in front of him.  
  
"Now, what I am about to tell you will undoubtedly shock you as nothing has so far. Please," Aleph reached out for their hands; Van gave it to him reluctantly. "We haven't much time, so I'm going to tell you all at once. I ask you not to interrupt. Now, it is primary, paramount, that you listen with attention. You must remember everything. It is imperative for your future, do you understand? Someday you will have to tell all this to others. Sit down." Nervously, they dropped on to the bench opposite Aleph and held each other's hands. Van, though confused, impatiently yearned to hear the truth. Hitomi resolved not to react until the end and to take in everything all at once, confronting it as a willow would a storm.  
  
Unexpectedly, Aleph tapped on Van's pendant, burning redder than usual. "I see the pendant has been returned to its rightful owner."  
  
"Huh? What do you mean? It was Hitomi's." Van frowned upon Aleph's unnecessary comment.  
  
"But it isn't. Here, take it off." Van glanced at Hitomi, who nodded in approval.  
  
Holding the precious stone in his wrinkled hand, Aleph held it up to the sunlight that barely seeped through the gathering mists. "Here, come closer, look in the middle, the rosy centre."  
  
Skeptically, they leaned forward and gazed up, only to notice a semi- invisible sign, a word, floating within the stone itself. The passing light revealed its ghostly presence. Hitomi gasped in amazement. Having owned the pendant for so long, she never actually realized that anything was written in it.  
  
"What does it say, Hitomi?" Aleph asked, implying unmistakable confidence in her ability to recognize it.  
  
"Well," her eyes narrowed in scrutiny, "it kind of looks like ancient Hebrew.I believe.the sign for Love?"  
  
"That is correct." He gives the pendant back to Van. "The Hebrews later used the word to mean Love, but it actually has its origin in Atlantis. Back then, each draconian had a sign for his or her name, embedded into the pendant that each owned. This one here is the sign for Vannius."  
  
In astonishment, Van opened his mouth but Aleph blocked any remark. "Before you say anything, hear my tale. You can ask later." Indignantly, Van eased into the bench, mainly because Hitomi squeezed his hand, signalling him to obey.  
  
"My story begins in Atlantis, nearly fifteen millennia ago, at the height of the New Galactica Era. I was a member of the High Council and next to me was a dear friend of mine, Lord Angelus. He was a formidable intellectual, a genius, and a poet who espoused peace and humanitarian principles. Like me, he was suspicious of the growing faction of Atlanteans, called the Fireans, who sought to make Atlantis more powerful. We were close ever since we were young; therefore I was intimate with his family. He had two extraordinary sons: Vannius and Orionis. Their mother died giving birth to the second one. The first son was born on a night when the stars performed the most breathtaking dance in the skies. His name means 'child of the stars'. Indeed that is what young Vannius had, the power of the stars, the ability to see into the unknown, like you Hitomi. But his prophetic powers exceeded any draconian before or since.  
  
"His power aided us in our politics and he too believed in peace, perhaps because he foresaw the destruction of Atlantis. However, his young life was not without sorrow. At his birth, it was prophesied that he would be destined for the future High Priestess, a girl born at the exact same hour as he. She was named Seraphine. Of course, such a love would be forbidden since the High Priestess is meant to stay a virgin, untainted by romance, devoting herself to the people only. Lord Angelus was concerned so he kept Vannius away from her ever since his birth. However, destiny cannot be escaped, and they eventually met by accident, at the age of fifteen, and fell in love. A pair of star-crossed lovers." Aleph stopped to take a breath, and smiled with concern at Hitomi's teary eyes.  
  
"Meanwhile, Atlantis was facing greater problems. The growing rebel group became more ruthless in their lust for power. A young and fiery draconian named Branimir was their leader. The Fireans were the first ones to start employing the Ispano Clan to produce fighting guymelefs. Lord Angelus started the pacifist movement to quell the rebels. The Ispano Clan, though they did business with the Fireans, were on our side in terms of morality, so they made a special guymelef for Lord Angelus - Escaflowne, the Dragon God of Protection. But in the end, Angelus was not protected and was assassinated." Aleph sighed in grief.  
  
"Alas, my poor noble friend. His two orphaned sons were left in my care. Orionis was but five. Vannius was enraged by his father's unjust death, so together with his best friend, Lacour, he sought vengeance by continuing to fight the Fireans with Escaflowne, courageously carrying out his father's ideals. Vannius had an unconquerable spirit and youthful charisma that quickly won many citizens, politicians and soldiers to his side. Of course, Branimir would not let him off easily.  
  
"In retaliation, the Fireans somehow discovered Vannius's relationship with the High Priestess and exposed it to the public. People were outraged that their heroic young leader would commit such an appalling act. Everyone turned on the poor boy, and not even I had enough authority to save him. Somehow, Branimir's animosity towards Vannius had a personal nature - something to do with Seraphine, as you will later find out." Van frowned at Aleph's intentional elusiveness.  
  
"Eventually, the Fireans grew out of control. One fiery night, warriors surrounded Vannius. His best friend Lacour died trying to save him. But Branimir succeeded anyhow. When we all rushed there, we saw young Seraphine clutching the dying body of her beloved. She wailed and cursed; her agony shocked the people. In the end, she made a wish that their love will save them in the life to come. Vannius died in her arms. A sight to break the heart, I assure you.  
  
"The guards proceeded to drag Seraphine to prison, for her moral crimes as they called them. Not much to my surprise, she was actually pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy named Amadis.  
  
"The rebels were eventually repressed. In desperation, they used their will power to create a new world in the heavens, called Athlon. Branimir led his warriors there and he took Seraphine with him, leaving her baby son on the Mystic Moon. I later had a vision that she died of hunger and abuse.  
  
"For the following ten years, Atlantis degenerated slowly but surely. Even without the Fireans, omnipotence and omniscience meant destructive pride; the same sin humans now suffer from. Orionis grew up into a brilliant young man, intent on saving Atlantis. Before Vannius died, he stored his remaining power inside his pendant, the same one you're now wearing. Then he gave it to his little brother. With the power, Orionis and I began the plan to implement his brother's ideal - the creation of a new world called Gaea.  
  
"However, before doing so, a mysterious woman came to Orionis, claiming to have known his brother. I cannot tell you about his woman" - Van straightened his back in protest - "cannot, young king, not unwilling to. It is not supposed to be. All I can say is that she combined powers with Orionis and together they created Serenus, the model closest to the Absolute Ideal. They expended all their strength for the creation so they died in the process. Do not lament, Hitomi, it was appropriately so. After all this, I finally carried out the creation of Gaea, with the help of the citizens who had the same wish to start over."  
  
A death-like silence invaded, mingling with the white mist that newly rose from the river. In all the mysteries, Van forgot to breathe, until the lack of oxygen forced him to inhale deeply. Bu the icy air chilled his hot lungs and he coughed violently.  
  
After Hitomi soothed him, he said to Aleph in a half-whisper, "You don't have to tell me, I know what this all means. It is my past life. I was Vannius, Orion was my little brother, and Folken was my best friend. Strange indeed." Van bit his lip with a contemptuous expression on his face. "What is not clear, is where Hitomi fits into all this. Is she Seraphine? Is Amadis her son?"  
  
"Hitomi and Seraphine are two completely separate beings. I can't tell you any more than that. Hitomi is still the unknown element."  
  
"You're lying!" Van stood up indignantly. "You know! Of course you do! If you refuse to tell you then I see no reason for me to listen to you anymore. I don't care what you did for me in the past life. This life, right now, I know I'm sick of all this!" Dragon-like in his wrath, Van turned to leave.  
  
Hitomi grabbed his hand in time. "Wait, Van!"  
  
"Let's get out of here, Hitomi. He's just playing us. What use is there knowing all these things about the past life anyways?"  
  
"No, Van, we have to know. I feel that you want to know as much as I do. The mysteries are torturous, but at least we will know something. It might be of use someday. Remember the Ra-Maat reading? It said the past will return to influence the future, so this is important. Please, Van."  
  
Hearing Hitomi's plaintive plea and sensing her despair regarding all this, Van swallowed his impatience and returned to her side.  
  
Aleph observed everything with an unaffected air. Befitting a cruel god, Van thought. "There is something more," Aleph proceeded nonchalantly. "When Atlantis finally fell, some of us came to Serenus, while most chose Gaea, perhaps because it resembled Earth more and hence had a feeling of home. Those of us here had better fate. The powers of Vannius and Orionis did after all succeed in creating the perfect world, but Gaea is flawed, as is Earth. It has been our everlasting effort to rescue our homes and our descendants. We planned and waited for millennia. Finally, you were born, as was Orion, Folken etc. Then the elements connected with Dornkirk fused you together again. But, the year of your birth also brought someone else.  
  
"A girl was born out of the sea foam of Serenus. Her forehead bears the pentacle symbol of Atlantis, the same that is at the back of your Tarot cards. She is the reincarnated Seraphine." Van's eyes became hollow, sheer terror chased life out of their shiny spheres. Can everything be dictated by an ancient prophecy? Vannius and Seraphine - destiny? With all the suffering during the past few months, all the strength and hope, is it possible that they've returned to the starting point where they were enslaved by a tyrannical fate? Has the wheel of fortune come full circle?  
  
"Perhaps," Aleph continued, "instead of me describing her to you, you shall meet her in person?" Neither of them made any sign of agreement, but away Aleph went, leaving them cold beneath the thickening mist.  
  
"Van." Hitomi held him, claimed him. Selfishness was irrelevant, morality vain, and she would take her own life if anyone ever robs her of him. This is a matter of fire and ice.  
  
"Hitomi, don't worry. Forget all that talk about prophecies. I'll always be here with you, you know that." His dry lips touched her forehead gently.  
  
Suddenly, as if materialized out of the ether, came a young draconian. Hitomi shrank upon seeing the undying beauty that she herself lacked. Seraphine's head was a sculpture of artistry, decked with waves of silver curls, and framed around her delicate face. Her presence was that of a goddess, aloof and blinding. Van scrutinized her with suspicion. Yet the unearthliness of her radiance, at once effulgent and reserved, made it impossible to know her genuine feelings. She baffles all penetration. She eludes all meaning. She was nonchalant, perfectly poised and never at a loss, capable of calling the winds and moving the stars. Van thought one could not use the word beauty to describe her - she has more than beauty, she has pulchritude. She is utterly different from Hitomi.  
  
Seraphine treaded softly, as if her feet barely touched the ground. She approached Van and attempted to pierce his anger with her pale blue eyes that had a strange tinge of gold. Far from being moved, Van bitterly speculated how any man could love a sculpture. She then reached out her hand and brushed his cheek. "Vannius."  
  
He pushed her icy touch away. "It's, just, Van!" he enunciated roughly. "And don't touch me!"  
  
Something like a smile appeared on her perfect face. "I see Time has not changed you." Her voice was musical, like a nightingale's. "And you!" Seraphine turned abruptly to Hitomi.  
  
Stung by her golden gaze, Hitomi cast her eyes down in trepidation, and stepped behind Van. In a violent turn of temperament, Seraphine grabbed Hitomi's arm, pulled her forward and slapped her hard across the face.  
  
At complete loss of calm, Van forcefully pushed Seraphine away and protected Hitomi in his arms. If he had his sword with him, he would have unsheathed it. "What do you think you're doing? Just who are you! If you so much as touch Hitomi again, you'll be sorry!"  
  
Without a word, Seraphine stood tall proudly and glared at them one last time before fading into the air. He felt a chill down his spine.  
  
"Hitomi! Hitomi, are you okay?" he cautiously cupped her face in his hands.  
  
"I'm.fine." Whatever tears were ready to gush out were not due to the physical pain. The excruciation piled up into a demonic tower, hubristically aiming to pierce the sky. She felt she could no longer contain the immensity any longer. From first meeting Van, to loving him and being separated from him, to being reunited with him here - could all this have been a lucky accident? Could heaven have simply pitied the young girl by giving her a momentary intrusion into someone else's love?  
  
For Van, there could be no doubt that Hitomi is the love of his life, all of his lives. Before he reassured her of his constancy, Aleph reappeared. This time, Van did rush towards him, intent on expressing his pain and rage physically. However, a mysterious sphere surrounded Aleph and Van could not even get close.  
  
He charged on in titanic aggression despite Hitomi's pleas. Completely unaffected by Van's paroxysm, Aleph slowly raised up his arm and placed a hand on Van's boiling forehead. Suddenly, all was silence. Van's thunder died down and his arms hung in motionlessness. With lark-like clarity and angelic strings, Aleph began to sing. The trees and summits joined in the choir. It was in Atlantean and Hitomi somehow understood the words: "Hear the heavens, my child, the sound of beauty, the song of truth. Let it enter you, let Freya's love heal you."  
  
Van's legs became liquid beneath the weary weight of his body. Hitomi caught him in her arms and led him to the bench. Blanks of white were imposed on his mind and he had difficulty trying to piece everything together, to place the events of his life in a coherent sequence. Aleph's song was like a drug. Everything jumbled up into a conglomerate, deranged mass, and there was hardly any distinction between past, present and future. The veil of Time has been lifted. His eyes whirled dizzily.  
  
As a final gesture, Aleph took their hands warmly, and his eyes expressed an unprecedented empathy and even love. "You will come through. You must believe it. I put this upon you because it is the only way to save you and the rest of us, in this life. It was your own will that it shall be so." Aleph looked at Van until the latter was revitalized and returned a steady gaze. "Good, you're better, young king. Here, this is the final piece of the puzzle I shall give you today," he handed Van a scroll. "Scream if you must." With that enigmatic comment, Aleph departed. Rain began to fall on Garden Stellifer. None of Serenus's magic and beauty was in view.  
  
"Open it, Van," Hitomi whispered.  
  
"I.I can't. It's something bad."  
  
"Then I'll do it!" Hitomi snatched the scroll, unsure whether she was courageous or merely curious. She read slowly: "In the ancient texts of Atlantis, there is written a prophecy: the dark-haired young man, part draconian, the king of Fanelia, pilot of the Ispano guymelef, is destined for.for the winged girl from Serenus, a sorceress who opens the portal of Time and guides the unknown elements of the universe." Hitomi dropped the scroll, and went to stand by the fountain. Sounds of fragmenting and cracking ice were heard.  
  
Her gaze ascended the precipitous hills. Some tress lay broken, some destroyed beyond recognition, some leaning against the jagged rocks. The pines towered up proudly but they provided no luxuriant shelter. The scene was sombre, made more serious by the wreaths of mist curled around the pinnacles. Rain descended from the grey sky and melancholy infused the once peaceful garden. Hitomi thought everything looked so unreal.  
  
Van has survived the tempest of war, the agony of loss, the confusion of time, but everything connected with losing Hitomi or hurting her could cause his soul to collapse on itself. He felt the mysteries of existence close in around him, the mysteries that stirred in the dark forest. He knew from then on that he has to live amidst the unfathomable. Yet there is fascination also, fascination with the regret, the longing, the hate, the passion. There is also a fighting within. To survive all this, he knows he must hold her. But he could not even lift up his arms.  
  
Through the trickling of rain, he caught her whisper: "What does this all mean, Van?"  
  
"How should I know? You're the one with the visions." There was something in his rough tone that painfully resembled how he talked to her when they first met on the Mystic Moon. He was not really annoyed or angry, just simply lost.  
  
She turned around; trials of tears were already entrenched in her wan face. "Let me ask you this, Van, is our love eternal? Does it conquer all? Huh, does it, does it?" Then she turned and sprinted out the garden, into the woods.  
  
"Hitomi!" he stood up to chase after her, but his legs failed him. I must go on. He saw himself as holding on to his flooded island of Love and Hope, and on the other side of the ocean is Hitomi, along with his family, all the lodestars of ages. He must drift to her and be no more tormented by the wavering of all good things. Exerting his strength, he stood up and ran on unstably.  
  
She sprinted with her old avid flame for the finish line, except there was no line. Out of breath, she stopped in the middle of the clearing and let the deluge rain on her. I want to go back home, back to Earth. She thought of Van's earlier question about returning to Fanelia with him. But no, it wouldn't be right. It is wrong. He should not think otherwise.  
  
But Van does think otherwise. And unknown to her, she herself does also. He has thought of past, present and future, with all their joy, fear, sorrow, valour and rage - what of these? Emotions sway and wither. But the Truth, Truth stripped of the cloak of Time and Fate alone rises above. Discard principles, banish morality, ignore all words, but the one splendid beacon will remain, pure and unconquerable. She is my Truth.  
  
Searching frantically among the wet trees, Van finally caught sight of her. The rain had poured down so hard that he was scarcely able to open his eyes fully. But his vision of her is clear. Panting and staggering, he approached her, his heart aching to see her this way. Upon reaching talking range, he immediately spoke.  
  
"I went to the future, Hitomi," she stared at him with doubt. "I swear I did. After Aleph separated us in that dream, I completely collapsed and I entered a coma. I was transported to the past and there my family was, alive and happy. Then I came back to the present, and it seemed some time has elapsed of which I have no awareness. Suddenly, I was in a different time, in the palace, with this little girl on my lap, saying she wanted to hear the story of Escaflowne. Her name was Hermione."  
  
"That little girl then called for this boy, Valorick, about ten years old. And he.he has your eyes, Hitomi, and she has mine!" Hitomi expressed concern, still unsure whether to believe him or not.  
  
"You've got to believe me. Even Aleph mentioned my 'travels', remember? I saw you there, Hitomi, in a white dress and I took the children to bed, and you were waiting for me. Don't you see, it's our future," he wiped away the water on her face. "Those are, or will be, our children, we are going to be together. It will be okay. Forget the prophecies, forget the past life."  
  
She saw Van's face through the rain, but the image was not blurred. He became clearer than ever. She put her arms around him and felt the salvation of his warmth. He gazed at her, his eyes softened lovingly and he cupped her face in his hands. She leaned up. Their trembling lips met in the middle. Finally. Even in the awkwardness of their inexperience, the kiss, so long delayed, is ideal. There was an immediate union. They held together, surrendering fate and volition. Her lips tasted sweet somehow and he paused for a second in bliss. Then, he pressed her against his body and kissed her again with strength and determination. Hitomi saw that there is a masculinity in Van other than that of the valiant warrior. She felt she was converted into an angel, unencumbered by gravity, dying without ever knowing it. As they held each other, a figure suddenly appeared from behind Van.  
  
"You believe, don't you?" the figure asked with the voice of Love.  
  
They turned around in alarm. The lessening rain made the sight clear and unmistakable. "F-Folken," Hitomi whispered.  
  
"Am I." Van's words choked in his throat. "Am I in the past again, brother?"  
  
Folken smiled his old, gentle smile, shook in his head and held out his right hand - his graceful, ample, human hand. In aching love, Van staggered over and held his brother's hand tight. It was tangible, real and warm. The scent of the forest after rain smelled like Fanelia.  
  
"Van, Hitomi," she came to their side, "You believe in your Love. I understand what it feels like, you know." Folken let go of Van's hand and went to stand by a tree, gazing off into the distance.  
  
"I guess during the war, we didn't exactly have time for brotherly talk, Van. But I should tell you now. It seems so very long ago, probably when you were only seven. When Dornkirk first arrived in Zaibach, warlords were fighting to conquer that arid land. One of the warlords had a daughter who despised the violence and chose to disobey her father by following Dornkirk and the way of science. Her name was.Nerya." For the first time, Van saw in his older brother, utter helplessness.  
  
"When I woke up after nearly being killed by the dragon, I was devastated to see my mechanical hand, altered by science. I wanted to die, to leave Zaibach. But she gave me hope and persuaded me to stay. Though she grew up amid wars, there was an untainted innocence and beauty in her. She was a physical incarnation of my ideals at the time. For her, I followed Dornkirk's ways."  
  
Then, Hitomi saw it in a bright vision - Folken and Nerya standing in an engine room, binding each other in love. Amidst the cold machinery of Zaibach, their flame blazed as the only breathing and immortal thing. There was something in Folken's eyes that was exactly like Van.  
  
"But one day, Nerya disappeared without a trace. I later found out that the sorcerers destroyed her because she was planning to sabotage their scheme of using kidnapped children for experiments. That was why I've antagonized the sorcerers ever since. For everyday that I stayed with Zaibach, I imagined that she'd come back to me, alive and well. After I died, I was able to see her again, but even in death, we can't stay together. It's hard to explain, I don't even fully understand myself. Perhaps it is only because we're being punished by the universe for our innumerable crimes. It feels just like how the two of you were separated."  
  
Wanting to lend his brother some consolation and strength, Van went over and placed a hand on his shoulder. Hitomi sensed Folken's pain and his love, a side of him she never saw during the war. He even named Naria and Erya after his love, she speculated.  
  
"Brother, are you alive in a world other than ours?" Van asked with a tremour.  
  
"You could say that. So are mother and father. We watch over you, Van, as we've promised." Tears streamed down Vans' face.  
  
"Brother, I don't understand reincarnation. Between the past life and this life there is a span of millennia - what happens during that?"  
  
"Van, you must not understand that now, not yet. I've come only to reassure that you two are right in believing in your Love. Whatever happens from now on, you must remember that you cannot wallow in tragic waters. You must soldier on. The happy future you saw will happen only if you follow the right path. You will feel what is right, not think it, but feel it." Folken took Van's hand and placed it in Hitomi's.  
  
"I know what Aleph has told you about the prophecy. But you should know by now that your Love is not exactly destiny. It is needless of destiny. I saw it that last day in Zaibach, after I died. You held each other and that moment of eternity was not created by fate. Someday you'll understand all this. Until then, Freya's power will bless you." With that, Folken's' gentle face faded into the quiet air.  
  
"Brother." Van whispered to himself, and closed his hand.  
  
"Come on, Van," Hitomi held his arm. "Let's go home, let's go back to Fanelia."  
  
So he held her and saw that their path led towards some infinite splendour, evermore about to be.  
  
On their way back to the garden, they saw Cyprus's bubbly, child-like figure stumbling towards them. "Hallooooo! Lad! Lass! Cyprus be coming!"  
  
Hitomi waved to him. As he came closer, she noticed he was carrying her backpack and Van's sword.  
  
"Yous be going home, Numen said. So Cyprus return to cottage to bring your things."  
  
"Thank you, Cyprus," Hitomi took her bag.  
  
"Here, lad, your cutting knife," Cyprus gave the sword to Van, who did not bother correcting his humorous mistake.  
  
"Are you sure Aleph said we're going home?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"Yes, yes, Cyprus no hear wrong. Cyprus come to say farewell."  
  
"I'll miss you, Cyprus. Thank you for everything you've done for us."  
  
"Oh, no need thanks. Cyprus glad to help."  
  
"Here," Hitomi took a silver ring off he finger. "Keep it as a token of my gratitude. It's not much, just something I picked up at a store. This way you'll have a souvenir from Earth and you can remember us."  
  
Cyprus blushed and took it humbly. "Thank you, lady. What a pretty, shiny circle. Cyprus treasure it."  
  
"Cyprus," Van finally said, "If you ever need any help with anything, remember Van Fanel of Fanelia."  
  
"Oh, yes, yes. But Cyprus remember Van and Hitomi Fanel of Fanelia!" Once again, he sent them into embarrassed laughter.  
  
"Fore Cyprus forget, draconian lady ask to see yous!" he then whistled and from behind a tress came Seraphine.  
  
Van immediately took a position of defence and made clear his animosity towards her.  
  
"Please, Van Fanel," she said, her voice less heavenly than before. "I come in peace. I apologize for what happened earlier. It was my stupidity. Please, I have an urgent message." Her previous godly and impressive stance was reduced and the icy citadel taken down, so she became more acceptable. She signalled to Cyprus who avidly waved goodbye before running off.  
  
Van relaxed his tense position, and agreed with Hitomi that they should give Seraphine a chance. She approached them and held out her long, beautiful hands. "Here, I shall give you instructions and help you get home."  
  
Remembering Folken's words about believing, they held out their hands. The three of them formed a triangle. Seraphine closed her eyes and solemnly began to whisper to Nature, in Atlantean. Wing dai esche irai secum, tu da Freya.  
  
The wind began rising to her command, dispersing the mists and gathering the power. Their pendant blazed in unison. The susurrus of the trees all around them resonated with Seraphine's chant.  
  
She opened her eyes and her voice echoed in the rustling wood: "Remember, this, remember this - when Atlantis comes to you, go to the Tree of Life and Death, and there dig up the relic. The Dragon and the Phoenix shall rise and together rule the sky." The whirlwind rose into a tumultuous gyre, leaving no room for thought or words in its swift rush of air.  
  
The wind gyre spun towards the zenith. A sunpillar swirled down through it, intermingling light with wind. Then both were drawn into the gyrating galaxy above. Seraphine alone stood among the silent trees.  
  
~ End of Part V ~  
  
  
  
Notes: Here are just some historical or mythological references related to this chapter: "Stellifer" in certain Latin (Roman) poetry means "starry" Vannius was a king of a place called Quadi, during the time of Tiberius; it doesn't really mean the "child of the stars" The ancient Hebrew sign for Love kind of looks like two figures intertwined in each other's arms In Scandinavian myths, Freya is the goddess of love and marriage, the counterpart of Venus. Her husband is Odin, god of wisdom, war and poetry. Together they ruled the underworld called Valhalla, the equivalent of Elysium, where heroes and good people go after death (this is one of the reasons why I named Van and Hitomi's son Val). The Atlantean is just gibberish I made up - sorry, I don't' know anything about linguistics. 


	6. Angelus of War

Gaea Regained WOWWWWW! I'm totally spoiled with all your wonderful comments!!!!! Thanks so much for complimenting my vocabulary etc., but right now, I don't think I know enough words to describe my joy! Glad you liked the mythological allusions - yep, I guess they're pretty educational. I'm most happy that you found the characters believable - they're what makes any story great. Please journey on with me, and spread the news as well - I really want more people to know about 'Both are Infinite'. Thank you. Btw, since this chapter is soooooooo long, I probably won't update for a while - sorry. For now, enjoy the flight (  
  
VI. Angelus of War  
  
There is a history in all men's lives, Figuring the nature of the times deceased; The which observed, a man may prophecy, With a near aim, of the main chance of things As yet not come to life, which in their seeds And weak beginnings lie intreasured. Such things become the hatch and brood of time. Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part I  
  
Even the Universe may have a finite existence. But this is a theory of astrophysics. While constants may be calculated in equations and scrawled across the sky, eternity retains its full mystery and flame within the soul. The greatest struggle of such star-sprinkled soul is to reconcile immortal Love with mortal life, to overcome unfathomable time and fate, to use destiny yet rise above it. In the process of this war, tears and blood will be shed, but they are a confirmation that Eros still lives, always coming into being. ....  
  
The dense mass of grey clouds above Fanelia parted momentarily and allowed the entrance of the sunpillar. If shot down straight and bright, laying the two figures down gently before retreating behind the cloud curtains.  
  
Just a minute ago, Van and Hitomi had beheld Seraphine's goddess-like face, uttering the strange instructions. Now, the royal tombs stand before them, white beneath the dark morning sky. Van knelt on the ground and kissed the grass of his homeland. "Thank goodness we're back in Fanelia."  
  
"Van, is this the place you call the Empyrean?"  
  
"Yes. You've been here, remember?"  
  
"I do. It seems so long ago."  
  
Van let out a weary sigh. "That thing Seraphine just said about Atlantis coming to us, the Tree of Life and Death, and the dragon and phoenix. What do you suppose it all means?"  
  
"I'm not sure. But I do remember something about dragon and phoenix. Hmmm." Hitomi paused pensively. "Oh, yes, I was in Akrotiri then suddenly I had this vision. Remember, it was the time I called out to you just before we were in that dream where we got separated? Well, it was the first time I saw Aleph, and he called for a dragon and phoenix. They flew down and grabbed me. Other than this, I don't know anything else."  
  
"Well, don't worry about it. Like she said, we just have to remember. When Atlantis comes, if it does, we'll think of something then. Now," he stood up with a sombre expression. "We really must get going. Escaflowne is not here anymore. And can you hear that noise coming from the direction of the castle? Sounds like a lot of people are gathered there and.groaning in pain. C'mon." He pulled Hitomi up.  
  
"Actually, Van, if you don't mind, I'd like to.talk to Folken, alone please," she gestured towards to the tomb and smiled shyly.  
  
"Oh.okay.sure. I'll go ahead. Just follow the path and you'll reach the garden." Van curiously watched her approach the tomb and then he departed, leaving her to her privacy among the peerless verdure of the dell.  
  
Anxiety engulfed Van as he ran down the garden path, frightened of seeing his beloved Fanelia ruined again among ashes of beauty and dreams. He reached the castle garden and though the sight did not devastate his soul, it daunted him. On the ground, stretched as far as the garden can allow, lay rows upon rows of wounded soldiers, bleeding, groaning and fighting for their lives. Nurses wove in and out carrying medicine and provisions. Crouched among the patients was Selena, busy bandaging the arm of a wounded.  
  
Van stood wide-eyed and speechless, a thousand questions invaded his mind. Something about the sight of dying soldiers seems familiar but contemptuously petrifying. In dismay, he walked over to Selena and stood next to her, noticing that her usual royal attire of grand dresses has been reduced to boyish pants and sleeveless shirt. She looked up; her face was tortured with many bruises and cuts, but her eyes were full of hope and gratitude upon seeing him. "Van?" she asked wretchedly. "Is it really you?" Sympathetically, he opened his arms and she fell into him, sobbing and wailing.  
  
"Selena, tell me what happened. What are you doing in Fanelia? Why are there so many wounded soldiers? And why are you hurt so badly?"  
  
"Van, thank the heavens you're here. As long as you're back, everything will be okay. Brother and the others are still looking for the place where the pillar of light landed. Aris!" she waved to a handmaiden. "Go tell Queen Millerna and King Allen that King Van is in the garden!" She turned back to him with wistful eyes. "Look, Van, brother will explain everything to you. For now, just stay here with me." She held him tight and despite his uncertainty about whether or not she still loved him, Van hugged back. The wounded soldiers gazed up at them in admiration, as if they presented a beacon shining amid a sea of blood.  
  
At that moment, Hitomi also stepped into the garden, shocked by the wounded, but more shocked by the sight of Van embracing another girl. Somewhat indignant and suspicious, she approached them quietly. Selena was the first to notice the strangely dressed girl. "You must be Hitomi." This announcement sent Van to quickly unwind his arms from Selena's waist and to stand awkwardly between the two young women.  
  
"Hitomi! Um.um.I'm not, I mean.this is.this is."  
  
"Selena Schezar."  
  
"You're Allen's little sister?" Hitomi smiled ambiguously.  
  
Selena winced a bit and curtsied, her gentleness bringing Van some relief. "I'm so very glad to meet you, Lady Hitomi. I've looked forward to this moment for a long time. Brother and Van have told me wonderful things about you. Welcome back to Gaea."  
  
Before Hitomi could make a reply, a group of people entered the garden. Van turned nervously to behold Allen, Millerna, and a number of lords approaching. "Van!" Allen called out, his voice mixed with pain. Van sadly noticed that Allen's right arm was badly injured, all bound up in bandages. Millerna, like Selena, looked exhausted and hurt.  
  
"Van, good thing you're back," Allen said. "Now we can get down to some serious planning. Is that," he looked pass Van, "is that Hitomi I see?" Her presence offered him some joy and surprise, though none of the old emotions remain. Millerna is by his side - thanks to Hitomi.  
  
Hitomi went up to them and gave them both a quick hug before returning to Van's side. Then Nestor and Merle came, the latter yelling for Van at the top of her lungs, and finally leaping onto him, then onto Hitomi, giving her a friendly lick.  
  
The joy of reunion seemed uncomfortable and inappropriate at a time of crisis, so Van hastily broke off Merle's remarks and anxiously inquired after Orion's whereabouts.  
  
"Here I am," a deep and heavy voice resonated from the door to the castle. Everyone turned around and saw a bearded, dishevelled young man approaching them with heavy steps. The red shirt that he borrowed from Van nearly hung in shreds from his thin, beaten body, overburdened with bows, arrows, sword and daggers. His bright eyes were obscured by a mixture of fatigue and misery, his cheeks sunken in hunger. Without a word, he walked up to Van and enveloped him in his arms. In that instant, all of Orion's physical injuries and mental pains entered Van and he felt them with acuteness and reality. He gripped Orion tight.  
  
Noticing everyone's heart-warming gaze, Orion released Van from his arms and chuckled awkwardly. "You know, Van, this shirt of yours is awfully itchy, the pants are too tight. Why ever do you wear them all the time?" Intermittent laughter sounded. Then Orion noticed the stranger, and instinctively he knew Hitomi, as if he had always known her. He approached her as a gentleman would and held her hand. "Welcome back to Fanelia, Lady Hitomi." He slowly knelt down on one knee with a painful groan and kissed her hand. "I'm sorry that you have to see me in such a bad condition."  
  
He is Van's best friend? Hitomi asked herself in half sympathy, half astonishment. She glanced over at Van and noticed an expression at once tragic and hopeful, perhaps how he looks at she herself sometimes. The Love that she sees in him, the Love for his family, friends, for her and for Orion seems so inexplicable in its unconquerable power that its very existence is beyond Earth and Gaea. How can such a Love not be destined? What did Folken mean when he said it rises above destiny?  
  
"Van, let's go," Allen said. "We should call a meeting right away."  
  
"Of course, Allen. But before we do so, I need you, Millerna, Selena, Merle," he then nodded to Hitomi and Orion, "to come with me to the dell. It'll only take a minute but it's very important to me. Nestor, take the lords into the conference room and set up everything before we return. Go." Van solemnly resumed his royal position. During the war, Hitomi never had a chance to see Van giving orders and exerting his authority in court. Given his growing influence in Gaea, she imagined that he must be very wise and majestic as a king, or the Triumvir, as he had once informed her modestly.  
  
The train of lords departed and Van led his groups towards the dell. Along the way, he enigmatically asked to borrow one of Orion's daggers. The group formed a semi-circle in front of the royal tombs, and he grabbed Orion to stand in the middle. Without hesitation, Van unsheathed the dagger, raised Orion's right hand and dashed the blade across his palm. Orion's scream was followed by gasps from the crowd. "What in hell? Van Fanel, I'll get you for this! That really hurts! Why."  
  
While Orion babbled and cursed on, Van looked straight at him with unfaltering eyes of starlit calm. Then he cut his own palm. Hitomi let out a screech. In the whirling emotion of the moment, Van held his bleeding right hand against Orion's and pressed the wounds together. "Your blood, my blood, our blood." Silent shock waved through the group. Hitomi came a little closer and saw Orion's eyes reveal their impeccable blue.  
  
"Orion, you can have a family now, and a last name. We're brothers, and you're a Fanel, just like me." He turned to everyone else. "With all of you here as witnesses, and in the presence of the royal dead, I, Van Fanel, king of Fanelia, hereby bestow the title of Grand Duke upon Orion Fanel." This was beyond what Hitomi expected. She knew this must be related to Aleph's informing them that Orion had been Van's little brother in the past life. It transcended friendship. She immediately reached in her bag for a handkerchief and went up to Van, but he took it and dressed Orion's wound.  
  
The group headed back to the castle and for a while, no one said anything. Merle pondered whether she would have to treat Orion in a brotherly way. Selena thought of the implication of Orion's new status. And Allen, though perhaps unconsciously bitter that his own friendship with Van always had a grudging edge, was content with a glimpse into what that bruised, withdrawn and often angry young boy was capable of in the struggle to attain unconditional friendship.  
  
As they reached the castle, Orion suddenly asked, "So now that my blood is mixed with draconian blood, does that mean I can fly?" Everyone smirked, even Van, except Orion himself. Silence was the only way not to betray the moment.  
  
"Van, Orion," Allen turned around and said, "we must hurry to the conference room."  
  
"Right," Van nodded then turned to Hitomi, holding her hand. "Hitomi, I have to go now. Selena and Merle can show you to your quarters, okay?"  
  
"No, Van, I want to come with you, if it's okay. Maybe I can be of some use. Please, I don't want you to bear the burden alone."  
  
Van hesitated and glanced at Allen and Millerna. They nodded. Selena and Merle returned to help the wounded while the rest rushed into the elongated room, populated with agitated lords, flinging out high theories regarding the present situation.  
  
Hitomi followed them in timidly, for she has never been inside a political gathering. She stayed close to her friends and surveyed the unknown faces before them. Among the lords, she recognized the ever so debonair Dryden.  
  
Van stood at the head of the table, and raised his palm - bandaged now - solemnly into the air. The lords addressed him reverently as "King Van" then quieted into their chairs.  
  
He began to speak with a heavy, ancient tone: "My lords, as you are undoubtedly aware, I have for the past." he glanced at Nestor, uncertain if the passage of time on Gaea has been the same as on Serenus; Nestor fingered three. "Yes, for the past three days, during which Orion and King Allen have governed Fanelia, I have been.occupied with matters of a personal nature, pertaining to Lady Hitomi here," he gestured towards her. "It was she who won the Destiny War, therefore I ask you to treat her with the utmost respect. As to the details of my leave, please let them remain personal." Hitomi blinked hard - she had never heard Van talk in such a serious manner nor has she thought that he's consecrate her as the victor of the war. As far as she's concerned, another war may yet start because of her.  
  
"I understand that during my absence, a grave disaster involving Asturia has erupted. Now, I need someone to inform me of the details and of our present situation. Allen, what happened to Asturia?" Van sat down with crossed arms.  
  
Allen stood up and walked about as he explained. "Three days ago, strange guymelefs appeared in Palas. They're not Zaibach ones. These were more powerful, swifter and accompanied with flying objects never before seen on Gaea. It was a sneak attack. Our harbour, warehouses, outposts were all destroyed. Some people managed to escape to the mountains and come here, but the royal family was barricaded inside the castle. Our military front was penetrated. I was not able to get to Scherazade and help them. We later confirmed that General Firasu is dead, so Orion is now the commander of both Asturian and Fanelian armies." Allen turned to look at the young man sitting next to Van. "He answered our distress call, and within hours, Escaflowne appeared with the Fanelian troops. We thought it was you, Van. But thank the gods that Orion came in time. Some soldiers were just about to take us.I."  
  
"The same thing that happened to Fanelia and Freid five years ago has happened to our homeland," Millerna added.  
  
A heavy gloom was cast over the room and no one dared to breathe very loud. Finally, Van asked, "Is everyone in the royal family here in Fanelia?" Millerna nodded.  
  
"Good.at least we have that much." He did not know how to proceed yet there seemed no other choice. "Nestor, what of our present predicament?"  
  
The old advisor stumbled to the king's side. "Your Majesty, Commander Orion has made ample provisions regarding the alteration of Fanelia in order to accommodate the people of Asturia."  
  
"Yes," Orion interrupted. "I've evacuated Fidell and made it a military training ground. The hospital there is still in use, but the main hall of the castle is also a medical station. The citizens are all in Palladium. Van, I know you didn't want to enlarge the army, but in the present state, we need better defence. Two countries depend on us."  
  
Van supported his chin with his hands and closed his eyes. "You needn't justify your actions. Nestor, continue."  
  
"All the citizens have been alerted and provided for. Our allies have all sent reinforcements and supplies. Fanelia is well prepared but obviously overpopulated. Zaibach has volunteered to provide new melefs, mobile transporters and drag-energists. And of course, the cost.the Alliance will allot more, but so far, the fifty million gidaru has been provided mainly by Lord Dryden."  
  
"Don't worry, Your Majesty," Dryden cut in casually, "there's plenty more where that came from. My old man left me a substantial inheritance. But keep in mind, even Gaea has her limit of gold."  
  
Van opened his eyes insipidly and gave Dryden a "thank you" nod, then stood up pensively. "You've all done a tremendous job. The people will thank you, as I certainly do. However, the central problem remains: who did this? And why Asturia? If it's not Zaibach this time, it means we have a new opponent, potentially more dangerous."  
  
"Actually, Van," Allen said with a feeble chuckle, "You'd be shocked to hear that unlike the Destiny War which involved only countries from Valasia, we're looking at a world-wide disaster this time. Asopia and Etolia have also reported similar encounters. The delegates are on their way here now."  
  
"What!" Van nearly yelled. "It's not just Asturia? What could they possibly want with a continent like Asopia with only agricultural countries? And Etolia is full of guildsmen and artists unconcerned with politics. Does anyone have any idea who is behind this?"  
  
"Apparently, it's someone who's against the monarchy," Allen said bitterly. "All the countries that were attacked have monarchical systems."  
  
"And milord," Nestor added, "When we contacted our allies, one country did not respond.Basram.a republic."  
  
"President Basante? What does he want? Allen, he's part of the Triumvirate, can we actually further our plans without him?"  
  
"It seems we have no choice. He's not responded to any of our messages. And due to the uncertainty of the situation, I dare not send someone to investigate."  
  
Van heaved a near inaudible sigh, coupled with a severe frown. "It appears to me that Fanelia's situation is stable for the time being. Yet out of experience of the previous war, we must take precaution and propose plans, should the future prove to be more catastrophic than expected. Nestor, Lord Kailan, please arrange for a Gaean Alliance meeting this evening. We'll discuss what to do with Basram then. In the meantime, would all of you please return to your former duties. I will accompany King Allen and Commander Orion to inspect the grounds and perform some military manoeuvres." Van nodded as a final gesture, then everyone got up to exit as wearily as they had entered. Someone passed by Van and whispered, "Looks like the Year of the Emerald Star is a bad year indeed."  
  
"Van, Escaflowne is up front," Orion said with a voice unusually weak for him. "I'll wait for you down there." He exited with Millerna.  
  
Allen tapped Van on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Van, regarding the incident with Selena a few colors ago, I.can we just forget our past differences and fight side by side again?"  
  
"Just like old times?" Van held out his hand and Allen shook it, lightly due to Van's wound.  
  
They went out into the hall and found Hitomi waiting for Van. As Allen went ahead, Van remained with her. "I have to go handle some military business and personally oversee my people. It's too chaotic out there so I want you to stay in the castle. Merle and Selena can keep you company, okay?"  
  
"Van, the situation sounds really frightening. Please be careful." They hesitated for a moment then embraced. As she watched him run down the hall, she felt an upsurge of emotions, eerily reminiscent of the Destiny War. ....  
  
While Hitomi lay her things out in the chamber located next to Van's, Merle pranced around, clarifying a few questions.  
  
"It's simple, Gaea is really not that big. Valasia is the continent where Fanelia, Asturia and all the other places you've been to are, except for Asgard of course, that's the continent to the north. Asopia is to the east, and Etolia to the west. To tell the truth, I've never been to those continents, they seem like pretty boring places. I can't understand why anyone would want to conquer them. Nice clothes!" Merle picked up Hitomi's skirt and snickered.  
  
"Merle! Must you always dig through my things?"  
  
"Meow! Old habits die hard!"  
  
Hitomi rolled her eyes. "So, Merle," she relaxed into the chair, "any love interests?"  
  
"Oh, well, since you took Lord Van, I've had to look elsewhere, but nope, no luck! Must be the curse of the Mystic Moon! However, I've thought of a family," her voice suddenly became serious. "See, there's this little cat girl, one of my students, and she's an orphan like me. She's called Vianne, and I.I want to adopt her and raise her on my own." A glimmer shone in Merle's eyes, and Hitomi saw that she's grown up.  
  
"Of course, I'd have to ask Lord Van's permission. I've mentioned Vianne to him but I haven't told him about the adoption part. We are going to be living under his roof after all."  
  
"I'm sure he'll encourage you! The child will bring you much love. Van seems like he'd like children."  
  
"Yeah.like the children he'll have with you!" Merle laughed out loud as Hitomi shaded to mauve. "Well, I have to get back to my chores. And NO, you cannot help! Lord Van commands us to let you rest. Besides, he may need you later so you'd better stay in one place where he can find you." Merle ran out on all fours, leaving Hitomi to stay reluctantly.  
  
She turned to her bag and dumped everything onto the bed. These are my only connection with home. She separated the items carefully and picked up a few which strung a cord in her heart: a photograph of her family, another of Yukari, Jason and her in front of the pyramids; the Twin Souls card from the Ra-Maat deck, and the gold, broken piece of relic she dug up in Akrotiri. It seemed so long ago that she was doing archaeology and she was surprised that the relic remained with her all this time. The Mediterranean air faded like the heat of summer and along with it, the connection she had with Yukari and Jason. Are you safe beneath the Ionian sky, under the protection of the ancient gods? May it be so. Hitomi put the four items into her pocket. She also put on her watch, which had resumed ticking once they returned to Gaea. She then proceeded to the door. In relief, she found no guard blocking her way, so she walked down the hall.  
  
The reconstructed castle was rustic with its walls of stone framed with wooden beams. She felt protected. She went a little further and came across the door with the Fanelian dragon crest carved into it. This is must be the royal chamber. She gingerly turned the knob and found it was not locked. With a slight creak, the door flowed open and she tiptoed into Van's room.  
  
It was a double chamber, two rooms connected with an arch in the middle. The front room was a study, consisting of two armchairs and a table for the sitting area, and a large desk and bookcases near the two window. Hitomi frowned curiously at the oddly shaped wooden shield hanging above the desk. The inner room had a large futon, with two pillows and a white quilt. Next to the futon was a small stand with a single box on it. She tried to open it but it was locked. A humble closet stood in one corner. Along one wall stretched a long cabinet, on top of which sat a shiny sword she had never seen Van use, and a large golden box. She curiously opened the box and found the royal crown inside. The bedchamber led to a balcony, providing the perfect view of Fanelia. "This is Van's home," she whispered to herself as she leaned on the railing. His presence is soothing. There is the bed he sleeps in, the chair he sits in, the objects he owns, the floor he treads on - everything is fever to her blood.  
  
She returned to the study area and sat down at Van's desk. In front of her lay a thick book, book marked, but from the layer of dust on it, she deduced he has not read it for a while. She blew away the dust and read the title, Ways of Warriors, Codes of Kings. She opened it and saw that next to the Fanelian text was Van's marginalia, small ideas he jotted down as he studied the book. Her fingers touched his handwriting, at once poetic and unrestrained, flying off the pages with beautiful wings. His handwriting defines him, she mused. Can it be that inside these books are traces of Van's mind? She went over to the bookcases and let her fingers trail over the book spines: Encyclopaedia of the History of Gaea, The Royal History of Fanelia, The Philosophy of Being, Myth and the Art of Mysticism, Kurlaeo, The Collected Poetry of Aureus, The Book of Five Rings, Secrets of the Mystic Moon. She paused and smiled on the last one. These words, these books once entered Van's mind, and now they entered hers. Through them, she saw a part of him that he would not bother to reveal. The Van she sees is a true king.  
  
A gentle knock came from the door. Hitomi feared that if someone should find her alone in Van's room there might be some embarrassment, so she kept silent and still. The knock came again, followed by a soft voice, "Lady Hitomi? It's me, Selena. I've brought you some soup."  
  
The moment Hitomi opened the door and saw Selena's peaceful face, she recognized Selena's unmistakable resemblance to Allen. The Schezar charm, she thought. "Selena, you don't have to address me as Lady."  
  
"Alright, just Hitomi then. It's much more intimate. Here, the kitchen just stewed a big pot of soup," she set the tray on the table. "Brother and the others are not used to the exotic taste of Fanelian food, but I quite like it. I hope you will too."  
  
Hitomi sat down in the armchair and carefully observed Selena, her refined motion, rainbow smile and diamond eyes. Hitomi could not refrain from asking. "Selena, is it hard.living with memories of Dilandau?"  
  
She set the plate down and sat next to Hitomi. "It's certainly a different life than most people's. At first it was very painful but brother and Millerna made it better for me. I think about Dilandau sometimes," a sad smile appeared. "I feel his loneliness acutely because it was my loneliness all along. He felt my presence the way I feel his. But it's well repressed, I assure you."  
  
"You know, Selena, you saved us somehow. That last day on the battlefield, I saw that Van and Allen stopped fighting because you appeared."  
  
"It was brother's love that called me back. In truth, Hitomi, we all live under the shadow of the darkness within. There is always a demon waiting to burst free. Of course, some people have greater self-control, or simply lesser demons."  
  
"I understand. I suppose Van's kind of like that."  
  
"He was, not anymore. Perhaps the future holds great challenges for him, and it will be hard for him to control himself but I know he'll come through."  
  
"Yes, I believe so too. He's already been through so much at such a young age."  
  
"We all have, fair or unfair. It just happened." She sighed. "I think Van's pain is greater than mine and I admire him deeply for it. On Gaea, there is a myth surrounding Van. His power is daunting whether or not he acknowledges it. He is more than a political leader. Yet for some reason, no one ever kneels down before him as they do before other kings. And brother never treats him with the same fear and reverence he treated King Aston. I think perhaps it is because people intuitively feel warmth when they're around Van, a glow, so it becomes unnecessary to treat him with formality. The warmth is familiar because it's the warmth of love that doesn't need to be spoken, and everyone feels it. You gave him that, Hitomi."  
  
"Selena," Hitomi patted her hand, "I'm so glad Van has a friend like you."  
  
'Well." Selena stood up and walked over to the window. "I feel I must disclose something. It would be wrong of me to withhold. Or perhaps Van has already told you.about me?" Hitomi shook her head in confusion. "You see, for the past few years, ever since I first saw Fanelia during the reconstruction, I've.loved him." Hitomi gasped but continued to listen in stillness.  
  
"I thought he could be my everything. Three colors ago, brother and I came here and in our foolishness we pushed Van over the edge. He went into a coma. Oh Hitomi," she suddenly sat down and held Hitomi's hands. "How wrong of me! I didn't even understand him, nor had I the slightest idea of just how infinite his love for you is! But don't you worry, I care about him only as a friend now. I just needed to tell you that part of my past. I've learned that I cannot hold wind inside a net."  
  
Sisterly warmth overcame Hitomi, akin to what she feels with Yukari. Instinctively, she embraced Selena. "I have a feeling we're going to be very good friends."  
  
"I hope so, Hitomi. Everyone was right, you are easy to talk to. Um." Selena's gracefulness suddenly faded into shyness. "Before I go, can I ask a favor of you?"  
  
"Sure, as long as it's within my ability."  
  
"You see, brother has told me of your visionary powers. I was wondering if.if you could do a reading for me. It's very important.'  
  
"Oh Selena, I really can't. I've given up fortune telling. And I must say that destiny is a very obscure thing right now, and we shouldn't try to tamper with fate. But would you mind telling me what it's about? Perhaps it'll be better just talking about it."  
  
Selena withdrew further back into the chair and blushed somewhat. "Essentially, it's about Orion. It's no secret around here that he's liked me for a long time, but I hurt him because I did not return the feeling. Lately, well, ever since Van's coma, I've gotten to know him better. As you can probably tell, he's very different from Van. He's usually more cheerful than he is today. I just.I'm ashamed that I ever treated him badly. Now I'm so confused."  
  
"It's okay," Hitomi laid a hand on her shoulder. "I was in a similar situation with Allen and Van, I'm sure you've heard. But in the end, I saw clearly, even though the process caused everyone much pain. Perhaps you're beginning to see clearly. Orion hung on for you just as Van did for me, right?"  
  
"Yes, but what if I cannot make him happy? I believe in love and hope, Hitomi, I really do. You and Van are living proof of Love's greatness. But I bear a heavy history of blood and hatred, how can I deserve and give love? This is why I wanted you to use the cards and tell me if my path is right."  
  
"Selena, you don't need cards to tell you what is already in your heart! You feel what is right; you just have to recognize it. And if Orion thinks you're worthy of love, then there can be no doubt. If your love is true, it will overcome all blood and hatred, past or future. Look, I know love, of any kind, can bring great strife but we have to hang on. My best friend Yukari, she.she used to say that 'all's fair in love and war'. I thought it was funny at the time because I never agreed with it. All's not fair in love and war. We don't know why some people have love, others don't or why some people lose wars. Both are difficult and dangerous. But they can be intertwined - a war in the name of love, a love fighting for peace. Right now, with your personal situation and the political situation, love and war are mingled together, so naturally it's confusing, for all of us. Here," Hitomi reached in her pocket and took out the card. "I want you to have this as a good luck charm."  
  
"No, Hitomi, I couldn't."  
  
"No, I insist. It's the card of Twin Souls. It symbolizes Love. You'll come through."  
  
"Thank you, I." she stood up. "I'm overwhelmed. You've helped me a lot, perhaps more than the cards would. I will think some more and become clearer. But..I should get going, Millerna and Eries may need my help with the patients."  
  
As Selena headed towards the door, Hitomi suddenly remembered something. "Wait! I have one last question, it's somewhat weird, but I really have to ask you. If you have memories of Dilandau, does this mean you know everything he knew?"  
  
"Apparently. Brother has even tested my skill with the sword."  
  
"Well, do you remember, when you were in Zaibach, was there ever a girl named Nerya?"  
  
"Nerya? That name is not familiar, though it has a ring somehow. Let me think. There weren't that many females working for Dornkirk." Selena cast her eyes down in thought. "Is she someone you knew? What does she look like?"  
  
"Well, I didn't know her. She was someone Lord Folken knew. I only saw her in a vision. She had really long black hair, tied back, she wore very bright purple earrings in the shape of teardrops, and she had on a silver armour."  
  
"Hmm.wait, I think.heavens, this is so long ago, right after I was taken to Zaibach. I believe you are talking about the young woman who sometimes came to talk to Jajuka, my caretaker at the time. My memory of her is very vague, I don't even remember her name. But I do recall her knowing mine and giving me flowers. That's about all I can tell you."  
  
"Thank you. I just needed to."  
  
"Can it be that even our Lord Folken experienced Love? I never knew he cared about any women other than Naria and Eriya. They loved him so."  
  
"Yes. Don't forget what won the Destiny War."  
  
Selena pressed the card against her heart. "I'll never forget." After she exited softly, Hitomi drank the soup then rested in the armchair and dreamed. ....  
  
Escaflowne gleamed with the passions of past wars, marring the white cliffs of Fanelia. Van looked at it and leapt up to touch the bleeding, pumping heart. For the first time in five years, he re-entered the pilot seat and felt himself regressing into darkness. He quickly changed Escaflowne into its dragon form. Orion and Allen jumped in. Beating its red fabric wings with might, the god ascended above the wind and headed down the valley.  
  
In the open air, Van noticed that the soothing forest scent of Fanelia had been replaced by a nauseating tang of mortality. He flew close to the ground so he could see the people. Citizens waved to him, asking for his help. Children ran along the canal, smiling at him. He pulled Escaflowne into the high sky and the sight of the people diminished. A drop of water fell onto his hand - he looked up at the clouds but it was not raining. He then realized that he had shed a tear.  
  
They landed in the middle of Fidell's military base, surrounded by soldiers' tents. Fanelian and Asturian guymelefs were engaged in practice. Most of the civilian houses were used for storage. The trees were cut, leaving the landscape rather bare and grey, with dust blown everywhere by the piercing wind. The Fanelian and Asturian flags waved above the central square.  
  
As soon as everyone noticed Escaflowne, the various captains gathered their units in the central area.  
  
Van kneeled Escaflowne down and stood on its knee. "Soldiers of Asturia and Fanelia," he shouted, "I have but one thing to say to those among you who are hero worshippers or hero aspirers - I am no hero, neither are you, nor will we ever be. There is no true victor in war. Those of you who fought in the Destiny War but five years ago know what I mean. I still have nightmares sometimes. We are here, at this very moment, with these weapons in our hands, not for war, but for the love of our homelands, our friends, our families. These swords will not shed blood unless we are pushed to the very edge. What I mean to say is," he stopped to take a breath, "I will do everything in my power to make sure that you and our people never see the darkness of a battlefield. Let Escaflowne be a god of protection, not of war. Now."  
  
"Your Majesties!" Everyone's attention was suddenly directed to a messenger, running hither at full speed, yelling frantically. "General Orion, an urgent message from Lord Nestor. New intelligence about the crisis." Van hastily jumped down and grabbed the scroll: "Zaibach air patrol has spotted suspicious flying objects circling the sky above Asgard, in the vicinity of the Mystic Valley. Long range sensors of the floating fortress kept visual contact and traced the trail of the flying objects back to a military base, set on an island in Oceanus Procellarum, off the coast of Asgard. President Menulf of Zaibach asks if they should send in cloaked guymelefs to investigate." Van scrunched the message in his fist.  
  
Allen stepped forth. "No, no guymelefs. That's too aggressive, even if they are cloaked. We can't risk being discovered. It would mean immediate war. Go, go with that message."  
  
"Ay, sir," the page ran off, leaving the two kings and one general standing in a triangle, with the army looking on.  
  
"Asgard, huh?" Van said, gingerly touching his pendant. "Looks like somebody not only wants to get rid of kings but wants the power of Atlantis revived. But why would they set base in Oceanus Procellarum, the Ocean of Storms? It's too dangerous for our troops to go there."  
  
"Van," Orion said, "I have an idea. I've talked about this with Allen already."  
  
"But I don't quite agree," Allen cut in.  
  
"It'll come in handy now. Just listen. I've arranged for the wolf pack to lead me into the dragons' nest. I plan to communicate with the dragons and enlist their help."  
  
"What!" Van actually felt like laughing. "You'll be killed. No one can tame dragons."  
  
"Not tame them, but talk to them. Look, they didn't kill me when I was a baby, abandoned in the middle of their territory. During the fifteen years that I've lived in the forest, my guardian and I could communicate with them. All you have to do is look into their eyes and have a strong message in your mind. I didn't get killed then, I won't get killed now. I can do it again. I'll get the dragons to fly to the island. A lot of dragons inhabit the islands around that part. They'll never be suspected as.well, as spies. They're intelligent animals, they'll be of help."  
  
"But." Van sighed. "At least let me come with you."  
  
"No, you and Allen have to stay here. You said you were going to train some of the young soldiers. Don't worry."  
  
"Orion, we'll think of another way to get to the island. This is a little."  
  
"Farfetched?" Allen suggested.  
  
"Yes. Besides, I can't let you take such a risk. Why is it that you never listen to me?"  
  
"Because I'm your brother, not your servant," he winked at Van, then jumped onto a horse and galloped towards the forest beyond.  
  
"Orion!" Van started to chase after him but Allen held him back. "Don't, Van! Just believe in him."  
  
When the dust of the road dispersed, Orion was no longer in sight. The memory of Folken disappearing into the same forest haunted Van as he stood, fixing his gaze on Orion's direction. Eventually, after Allen gave the captains some orders, Van mingled himself among the crowd of young, amateur fighters. Each was someone's son, friend, and lover.  
  
Before long, a trio of dragons soared up from the far end of the forest. Their shadows trailed over Fanelian Valley as they flew northward to the ocean. Van paced around impatiently until Orion returned, even more dishevelled than before. "Are you alright?"  
  
'Yeah. Whew! I told you it'd work. They're on their mission. But I tell you, dragon drool.yuck!" a few nearby soldiers laughed. "Not pleasant at all to be near those big mouths. Now I really need a shave and a shower!"  
  
Van's tension melted among the surrounding laughter and for a mere second, he cheated himself into believing that nothing worse will happen.  
  
For the ensuing few hours, Van, Allen and Orion participated in training soldiers, overseeing formations, and drawing up potential battle plans. Meanwhile, Hitomi slumbered on in Van's armchair, dreaming of some future splendour. But not even dream stuff can mould, in any imaginary shape, the form or substance of the war to come, a war so lifeless that mere death seems a hope. ....  
  
As the veiled sun approached the horizon, everyone got ready to return to the castle for the alliance meeting. Unexpectedly, the dragons' shadows were cast over them again. From the ground, they could spy, in between the large mass of three dragons, a smaller patch of darkness, clutched by dragon claws. Swiftly the dragons dived to the surface, driving back the crowd of daunted soldiers. The dragons came near Orion and Van and set down before them a grotesque, tenebrous lump of a creature, bleeding and lifeless.  
  
After the dragons departed, everyone closed in around the strange beast lying on the ground, hellish and otherworldly in its appearance. It had the beak of an eagle, scaly wings, a long tail and the body of a large, carnivorous mammal. The soldiers murmured in fright and poked at it with spears to make sure that it was dead. Van went up to it head on and laid a hand on its bird-like head. "What do you suppose it is?"  
  
"Hmmm.." Orion played with his beard. "Sure is ugly. But the dragons must have had a reason for bringing this.this.this.thing."  
  
"Check to see is it's carrying a mark of any kind," Allen suggested.  
  
"Captain Galas!" Orion yelled for his soldier. "Get your men to flip the thing over so we can see better."  
  
"Ay, sir!" A group of twenty or so men was needed to push the creature onto its back. The captain then leapt upon its stomach and discovered a tag around the animal's neck. "Sir, Your Majesty, there's something written on this."  
  
As soon as Van saw the tag, he jumped down nervously. "Commander Strom," a stout warrior answered Van's call. "Go to the castle immediately and get Lady Hitomi here. Go!"  
  
"Van, what is it?" Orion asked.  
  
"The message." Van said with a tremour. "It's written in Atlantean. That's why I need Hitomi here to read it. I don't have a good feeling about this."  
  
For the next few moments, Van stood shivering inside. With his eyes shut, he attempted to listen to the long, sad moans of the gust, and in very human desperation, he imagined the wind to be forming a whirlpool and sending him a message from some alien world. The message replaced his blood and filled him, pumping his heart until he distilled meaning from its torrent - the images of his entire life suddenly flooded him like a battalion of shadows. The images from the past few colors were most violet: Selena and Allen, the Numen, Hitomi, his family, Valorick and Hermione, Serenus, Cyprus, the forest and waterfall, Myst, Freya, Seraphine.  
  
"Van?" Hitomi's gentle voice called back his soul. "Are you okay? You're sweating really badly."  
  
"I'm.I'm fine." He nodded "thank you" to the warrior who brought Hitomi.  
  
"Is that." she stared with horror at the beast on the ground. "Is that what I think it is?"  
  
"You know what that is? Is it an animal from the Mystic Moon?"  
  
"Well, not exactly, you can only see them in picture books. It's called a griffin, a creature from mythology. Not very friendly, I gather. What's it doing here?"  
  
Van picked her up and jumped onto the body. "Don't worry, it's dead. Here, there's a message but it's written in Atlantean, so I need you to read it."  
  
"Atlantean? Okay, I'll try." She approached and held the griffin's metal tag in her hands. Her eyes closed for a second but when she opened them again, a blank terror was present. She covered her gasping mouth with her hands. "Oh, Van."  
  
"What is it, Hitomi? What's wrong? Tell me what the tag said."  
  
Her cold hands reached out for his and she whispered into his ear with a trembling murmur. "The front side.it said. 'Protector of the Fireans'. That's probably the griffin's role. But the back.the back," Van stroked her arms. "It read. 'Vannius.I want vengeance.'" Hitomi collapsed backward, but Allen who was standing behind her, caught her in his arms and took her to the ground.  
  
Van stood motionless upon the griffin and started to snicker, something he has never done before. "I knew it! I knew it!" he screamed.  
  
"Are you alright, Van?" Orion asked with concern. "You're scaring me. You look like you're about to go crazy."  
  
Van ignored him and turned to the perplexed and noiseless soldiers standing beneath. "My warriors! Don't fret about a thing. We have to go now. Keep up the effort. We'll keep you informed." He then jumped down, picked Hitomi up and flew off in Escaflowne. Allen and Orion watched him dazedly before saddling their horses, confused at why they were not informed of the message's content. I bet it has something to do with Gaea's past, Orion thought. ....  
  
After returning to the castle, which was already decorated with torches and flags of the Alliance, Orion took Allen's advice and went for a speedy shower, shaved then put on his official warrior's uniform. The grave matter at hand and the setting of an alliance meeting necessitated formality on his part as a general.  
  
He proceeded to the world conference hall, a circular room, at least five times larger than the one used in the morning. The hallway was peopled with representatives from all the countries, conversing with one another in the serious and knowing tones that politicians are capable of. Nestor stood at the door and greeted everyone as they went inside. As Orion passed by, his military attire drew some respectful, some resentful glances, but he marched on without acknowledging anything. As soon as he explored the circular conference room and found no Van, he went down the hall to the arboretum that Van designed for study and leisure. Orion noiselessly pushed open the stained glass door and poked his head inside. The trees, flowerpots and greenery blocked his line of sight. But once he pushed aside the willow branches that partly veil the entrance, he saw Van standing in the far corner, wearing a kingly outfit, conversing with an unusual looking person.  
  
Van had his eyes cast down pensively, with one hand supporting his chin and he nodded frequently in agreement with whatever his companion was eagerly explaining. The person was fascinatingly queer - it had a white, almost translucent body, and its hair and clothing seemed to glow with the same paleness. It was alien in its height and thinness, as if gravity had no effect on it. Van, who is taller than most men, was still much shorter in comparison to the pinpointed, sky-reaching height of his companion. Then Orion remembered - this is what certain Etolians are said to look like. He must be one of the poets or philosophers from Etolia. A creature all light. His luminous whiteness of body reflected his purity of mind.  
  
"That's Lord Oneseme from Etolia," a soft voice suddenly informed Orion. He turned around nervously and saw Millerna smiling at him and he came back out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Yeah, I figured he looks like an Etolian. I've never seen one in real life. But do you mean he's the Oneseme, as in the great philosopher?"  
  
"Yes, he's the one. Are you acquainted with his work?"  
  
"I've studied his theories on time and space. I hope I can talk to him after the meeting."  
  
"Wow, Orion, I'm impressed. His works were never translated which means you read them in the original. I never knew you could understand Poetics. Very few people can."  
  
"Well, it's a very intriguing language. In fact, it was Lord Dryden who lent me the books on Poetics. That reminds me," he grinned sheepishly, "I still have to return them."  
  
"You know," Millerna smiled enigmatically, "I understand that Selena is also studying the language. Maybe you two can have a conversation."  
  
Orion's mind immediately shrunk upon that name. In flustered embarrassment, he quickly excused himself and paced to the conference room. "Orion." Millerna said to herself as Allen came up and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"What about Orion?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. Just the whole business with Selena."  
  
"Ah.I see. Young hearts and unattained love. We've all been there, now haven't we?" he put his arm around her and they walked down the hall slowly.  
  
"Yes, I suppose we have, but we came through. Oh Allen, so much has happened in such a short time. You are the only light. Everything else is darkness. Asturia attacked, and the baby." she winced.  
  
"It's okay, my love. Don't think about that now," he whispered into her hair and stroked her back. She placed her hand on her stomach and shed a few tears before recomposing herself and said in a bleeding voice that she was well enough to go. ....  
  
The evening wind trembled against the glass floor windows of the world conference room, and the trees rustled. But inside, the heat was oppressive. Everywhere was a tumult and a chaos: politician, sitting and standing, chatted vivaciously, while servants weaved in and out bringing refreshment. In the background, the noises of the citizens outside could be heard. The castle became circus-like. It also smelled like anxiety, if anxiety could have a scent.  
  
Orion sat at his prearranged seat at the circular table, and stealthily threw scrunched up paper balls into the hollow space at the centre of the huge table. He ceased and adjusted his posture as the lords gradually resumed their positions. Even with everyone in place, the room looked without order.  
  
Shortly, Van entered with Lord Oneseme, accompanied by Nestor, Allen, Millerna and Dryden. The grand entrance doors were closed behind them. Van, looking unusually authoritative in his formal attire, cleared his throat and commenced the meeting. "Members of the Alliance, friends, let me begin by apologizing for the short notice given for this evening's conference. But it is imperative that we meet to discuss the recent occurrences. Most of you will have already noticed that no representative from Basram is present at the moment. After several failed attempts to contact President Basante, we have reason to believe that Basram is connected with the assault on our allies. Furthermore, this afternoon, we received intelligence that the enemy has stationed a military base on an island in Oceanus Procellarum, and has sent flying machines to investigate the Mystic Valley. I fear that this conflict may also involve the power of Atlantis, much like the Destiny War." A frightened murmur rose like a hot wave over the room.  
  
As people glared at each other and whispered frantically, Van stood silently, feeling the hammering pulses in his burning temples. He remembered what Lord Oneseme has just told him: "If Time is opening up, at first it will open up for you only. To contain it, you must let yourself be pulled by its gravity and you must enter its circle." He weighed and considered clearly before resolving not to tell anyone about the Fireans or about his past life unless the situation cannot be contained.  
  
Then the meeting shot to its heights. Many people stood up in a blaze and clamoured for answers no one could give. Most cheered for the suggestion that Basram should be banished from the Alliance. All the simultaneous shouting, lamenting and slamming of the table was hell to the ears. A miniature war erupted and the politicians accused each other of siding with the enemy. The timid-looking delegate from Freid scurried to Van's side and whispered that Duke Freid will support King Allen and King Van no matter what, then escaped from the conference room in fright. Some people, with a bellicose temperament, jumped on the table and yelled for war. Their argument was that severe crime deserves severe punishment.  
  
Orion remained stiff against the back of his seat the whole time. He looked up at Van who stood beside him, and thought that Van's grief bordered on insanity. Allen and Dryden were relentlessly trying to pacify the many stomping and burning lords who seem to have completely forgotten the whole purpose of the meeting.  
  
"Silence, everyone!" a strong female voice rose above the noise. They all turned to look at Queen Millerna who stood alone by the window. Then, as sons listen to their mother, they all sat down reverently.  
  
"Look at you all, fighting and screaming. The Alliance was formed for peace and dignity, not war and chaos. It was my own country that was destroyed, but no, vengeance is not my answer. Has death and the Destiny War taught you nothing? I've been standing here for the past few minutes, watching the citizens down there. They've built a bonfire by the canal, right in front of the castle, and they're chanting by the fire. Do you know what they're saying? 'War kills love and buries life.' Don't you see, the people of Fanelia and Asturia have once suffered the loss of their countries, what they want is not the satisfaction of sticking a sword into their enemy's body. They want their home. Cannot you with all your knowledge and experience understand such basic love?" She heaved a soft sigh and returned to her view.  
  
An awkward silence took over, and indeed they could hear the faint chant of the men, women and children whose voices sounded like a chorus of angels.  
  
Finally, the delegate from Daedalus spoke. "Wise words, Your Majesty. Of course war is not the optimal choice. So far we've only engaged in defensive manoeuvres. But it may be that defence is not enough. The situation may worsen if we don't do something fast." Everyone muttered and nodded in agreement.  
  
He continued: "Even if we carry out the intermediary steps like rescinding Basram's membership in the Alliance, war will still lie at the end of the path. It's only a matter of time."  
  
The atmosphere was heavy with uncertainty or perhaps with the irrepressible knowledge that they're about to face war. Millerna walked over to Allen, and then looked at Van whose eyes appeared hollow. "Van, what do you think?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, let King Van decide," someone called out. "He's the triumvir after all."  
  
Van blinked then leaned against the table and hung his head in exhaustion. Everyone scrutinized him; their gaze descended on him. He felt like they had handed fate over to him but instead of him possessing the fate, it possessed him. In his hands, this fate felt liquid, ungraspable, formless, an infinite misgiving. In that moment, he hated his own power, his authority. What is great about greatness anyways? It felt alien to him, distant like his days as the carefree little prince roaming the garden with his brother.  
  
"At this moment," he eventually said in a husky voice, "none of us can think clearly. I make a decision now because I have to. First, because Basram has willingly withdrawn from the Alliance, the Triumvirate can be dismissed, therefore I am no longer the triumvir, so no one needs to give me any superior authority. Secondly, I propose that economic sanctions be imposed on Basram. And lastly, yes, Zaibach may continue with developing military weapons. As to the declaration of war and if I may add, the slaughtering of innocent people, I need time." He sank down into his chair. Everyone voted in favor of his proposals then resumed their tumultuous discussions as before.  
  
The doors of the conference hall were opened. Orion was the first to storm out. In one minute, the train of lords abandoned the room with heavy steps, heading to whatever unrestful nights that await them. After the servants cleared the room, the lights were turned off. Allen was ready to follow everyone out, but he paused at the doorway and saw Van still standing across the dark room. His solid figure was silhouetted against the open window he stood by, brooding on Fanelia, hands behind his back like some old, erudite king.  
  
"You shouldn't fight it, you know," Allen said from the doorway then slowly approached him.  
  
"Huh?" Van swung his head around in confusion. But he quickly comprehended Allen's meaning so returned to his meditation.  
  
The two monarchs stood side by side, two small figures beneath the infinite sky. Van finally made a reply, "But I do fight it. I have to."  
  
"I didn't understand your weariness before, Van. Now being a ruler myself, I know all the pain and burden you feel. But don't forget, it is our duty, our responsibility to our country, to the people."  
  
Van pushed open the windows and leaned forward on the sill, his chin in his hands. "I know all that. It's just that.I've sacrificed my life for this. I bear the weary load. I give it my everything. What more can they ask of me?" then Van looked up. "I even gave up the woman I love." His eyes reflected a dying flame.  
  
In that instant, Allen saw an anger in Van that he has never noticed before. It was an anger greater than that involved in revenge or loss. It was anger at the overwhelming, unjust and straining life imposed upon him. His burden is heavier than that of any other king, and even in times of peace, he will be fighting.  
  
"But she's here now," Allen placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
Van seemed not to have heard. An inscrutable, implacable force of possible farewells hovered over him. He straightened his back and cracked his knuckles. "Allen, does good leadership necessitate ruthlessness?"  
  
Allen was somewhat struck by the question. They've discussed politics before but not philosophy and morality. Van shrouds his ideals so carefully that no one ever gets to see the spark of inspiration and the painstaking process behind the many political actions he has carried out. He denies his capability as a political theorist as much as he shrugs off his incredible authority. Only on a battlefield does Van let his ideals fight beside him in visible view. But this was already a battlefield.  
  
"Sometimes, Van, what we have to do is not what we want to do, but I'm sure you already know that painfully. Perhaps it's not so much as ruthlessness as it's firmness or assertiveness. To keep order we must root out evil." Allen never asserted his ideas, at least not in front of Van. But he was not giving advice - he wanted to change Van, to save him from his own gentleness.  
  
Van nonchalantly picked at the wood of the windowpane. "Good and evil are not such separate, distinct polar ends as people suppose. Everyone thinks I'm too young to understand that. Folken's the perfect example, isn't he? I keep wishing.wishing that I could distil some good from evil. I guess Hitomi taught me that."  
  
"Van, look I." Allen paused before entering into a more personal domain. "I care about you as a friend. I hate to see you in pain. Perhaps you need to let the world remain imperfect and to see the evil then pluck it out. It's an endless process for any leader."  
  
"I know the world is not perfect. I wouldn't want it to be. The universe would cease to exist without the conflicting forces of good and evil. I just." he suddenly lost his words and went over to stand by the table, his figure hidden in the shadows.  
  
"Of course it's a great responsibility but Van, you can't deny the power you have. You can change the world. Triumvir or not, you're the pillar of Gaea. Most people would abuse such a power but you don't."  
  
"Because I don't want it," he retorted bitterly. "I don't know how to change the world right now." He lifted his hand to his forehead and felt it burning. "Besides, power is a matter of perspective. Basante doesn't think I deserve my authority, now does he? Power is not some objective reality or universal truth. Yet, in the end, we're all enslaved by it."  
  
Allen sighed, half in admiration, half in the despairing revelation Van's philosophy evoked. "You know how I've always cherished chivalry. Well, lately I fear that chivalry cannot survive in such a world. Perhaps.perhaps.ideals are not reality."  
  
Van suddenly picked up a chair in rage and was ready to slam it on the ground. But he didn't. Allen was relieved to see him put it down slowly, noiselessly. "I'm tired, Allen, really, really tired." Everything about Van seemed brittle at once, his thin body was fragile, his gentle soul vulnerable.  
  
"Get some rest. Go to Hitomi." Allen's voice was solid and reassuring, and such a voice uttering her name gave Van strength to straighten his back and march out with some bravery.  
  
Allen stood by the window and watched him walk away. Then he saw, in that stubborn, aggressive young man, a truly beautiful soul. ....  
  
After Van had taken her to her room a few hours ago, Hitomi slept feverishly but soon woke up in a stupor. She felt strange in the guest quarters, so once again she went to Van's room. She looked in the drawers for candles, and then lit at least ten of them, illuminating the room with dancing light and golden warmth. She afterwards pulled an armchair up to the window and sat gazing up at the Mystic Moon, blue and white in its seeming serenity. The Earth.is it still my home? Her family became so distant and otherworldly, but she dreamed that they have already flown out of Earth and were living in a beautiful planet free of war and sadness, much like Serenus. She herself, however, was very far from the physical paradise. It receded like the Earth, but she knows she will always be the sublunary child of both.  
  
The door suddenly opened and in came Van, with a towel in his hand, wiping his wet hair. Because he had just taken a shower, he was not wearing a shirt. But Hitomi was no longer timid like before. She ran to him and they embraced each other tightly.  
  
"Hitomi, I thought you were sleeping."  
  
"I couldn't, not when I think about what might happen. Did you tell anyone?"  
  
He closed the door. "No. And don't worry; I've managed to postpone the war. As far as they're concerned, the situation is holding. Guess it's up to us to work this out." He held her hand and led her into the bedchamber. Like the weight of a lifeless body, Van dropped onto his futon and lay face down in motionlessness. Hitomi sat down next to him and stroked his hair.  
  
"You know what?" he said insipidly. "Nestor stopped me in the hall just now and reminded me that today's White, 12th Moon. My first reaction was, 'so what?', but then I remembered, it's my birthday. Of course, I told him not to arrange anything, the day is almost over anyways. I'm twenty, can you believe that?"  
  
"I never knew when your birthday was. So, you're eight months, I mean.colors older than I am. Well, happy birthday," she bent down and kissed him on the lips. Then she added shyly, "happy birthday.my love."  
  
Van instantly sat up and held her. "You've never called me that before. It's the best present I've ever gotten. Thank you." He returned a kiss - they no longer felt awkward in physical proximity. She leaned steadily on his chest, firm and smooth. The chain of the pendant was warm from the heat of their bodies. They remained thus in each other's arms for some time. It provided them their sole heaven amid the hell.  
  
Then Van said weakly, "We have to talk about the Fireans." He unwound his arms from her waist and they say side by side on his bed, each staring at the ground.  
  
"Van, if the Fireans are here on Gaea, that means there is a planet called Athlon, where Aleph said they lived."  
  
"Must be. And somehow they came to Gaea. My guess is that Basram is their ally on Gaea, or else they would not have known which countries are ruled by kings. Basante must be getting some advantage. The message, it talked about vengeance."  
  
"I assume it's from Branimir, right?"  
  
"Yeah. This is a vengeance that spans millennia. He has chased Vannius, or rather.me, from the past life to this life. Remember Aleph said that Branimir's vengeance has a personal reason?"  
  
"I somehow feel the reason has something to do with Seraphine."  
  
"I think so too. After all, he did take her with him to Athlon. But she died and reincarnated. Ah." he groaned and rubbed his eyes. "I don't know, I just don't know."  
  
"Neither do I, but I believe Aleph and Folken when they said that we'd come through."  
  
Van drew his knees up to his chest. "He wants me. Asturia was attacked because of me. Now everyone's in danger because some immortal guy wants to kill me for a mistake I made thousands of years ago, and I don't even know what it is!" he bit his lip in self-contempt.  
  
"No, Van, it's not your fault. Branimir was the rebel. You fought for your people then as you do now."  
  
"My people? Heavens, I feel so selfish. Even with my entire burden, my suffering is nothing. There are so many others who are more unfortunate than we are." Hitomi nodded. "The poor, the weak, the sick, the odd, the lonely.what am I, a king, complaining about? So I guess I have to be strong for this. But I don't know, I just.Hitomi," he looked up at her, "I want to be free, free from war, free from evil. I really want to." Like a child, he lay down and curled up, resting his head on her lap. She smoothed back his hair and kissed his forehead. Somewhere deep inside her, she wanted to promise that she'd always be by his side, and bear the burden with him. But she refrained and said something else.  
  
"Van, remember how Folken said 'let Freya's love heal you'? Cyprus told us that she was the Atlantean Goddess of Love and Hope. Well, I thought maybe we should pray to her."  
  
"Pray? But I don't think I know how to do that."  
  
"It's easy. Here, get on your knees and hold my hands." He did as she instructed. "Now, close your eyes and say your prayer in your mind. Tell her your dreams, your fears, your wishes." Amid the flickering candlelight, the two young souls joined together and reached for the Eternal, within and without.  
  
The stillness was abruptly broken by Hitomi's gasp.  
  
"What's wrong? Is it a vision?" he grabbed her by the shoulders.  
  
"No. It's strange, it felt like an upsurge of power through my body, as if a part of me was being awakened. I have no idea what it is."  
  
"So are you sure you're okay?"  
  
"Yeah. I just hope our prayer reached Freya."  
  
"I'm sure it already has," he kissed her on the cheek and lay back down.  
  
"Hey, Van," Hitomi then said, "you look really tired, do you want a massage?"  
  
"A ma-sage? What's that?"  
  
"Here, lie on your stomach." In confusion, Van let her turn him over, but in nervousness, he became even tenser.  
  
But her hands, so tender, coupled with her strong massaging upon his weary shoulders, felt intoxicating. His eyelids drooped under the relaxing spell and the overbearing load of his life was lifted off by her fairy touch. Just as he was about to fall asleep, the bedroom door slammed open, startling them both with a loud bang.  
  
Orion stumbled in, his shirt buttoned all the way down and he held a half-empty bottle of vino in his hand. He stepped onto Van's futon and began bouncing like a little child. Hitomi watched with amusement, though somewhat worried that a hyperactive man would cause greater damage than a child.  
  
"Hail the conquering hero! Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!" Orion sang at the top of his voice, then jumped down, grabbed Hitomi and began dancing with her in circles. "Good morning, Hitomi, good morning, my darling!" he sang again. She found it all quite hilarious, whereas Van vexingly pushed Orion away and took his bottle. "You're drunk."  
  
"I.I, the great and undefeated general of Fanelia, cannot be drunk. You.and why.maybe I should be drunk, to celebrate your birthday. The big TWO ZERO!" he jumped onto Van's back but the latter quickly shoved him off.  
  
"Orion, go to bed."  
  
"Bed? It's daylight outside. It's so hot. Give me back my good vino," he snatched the bottle and took a big gulp. "The key.the key.lies in the three. Hey feline!" he yelled towards the door, and in came Merle, very discontented, holding a large shield before her thin body.  
  
"Orion!" she growled, "talk about rude! Letting a girl carry something so heavy."  
  
"Ah.so you do admit I'm a man!" he staggered over and grabbed the shield. "This baby is impenetrable," he threw it at Van. "Well, Fanel, that gives you white, yellow, orange, lilac.four colors in total to get me a nice present for my birthday."  
  
Merle came up and pushed Orion aside. "Lord Van, the present is from the both of us. The steel came from Daedalus, and the designs were hand- carved by Etolian craftsmen. It's supposed to match the sword we gave you last year."  
  
"I like it, thank you, Merle," he bent down and embraced her. "It's magnificent, though I wish you didn't go out of your way to get me something this costly."  
  
Before Merle could reply, Orion cut in between them and tapped on the shield. "This baby ought to have you shining like a dragon.or, no wait, you already do that.maybe it was a cat?" In a frenzy of drunkenness and ludicrous outcries, he sank to the ground but Van caught him by the arms.  
  
"Hitomi, I'm going to take him back to his room. I'll only be a minute," Van said to her and put the shield on the cabinet next to the sword. She nodded.  
  
" 'Night, Hitomi," Merle said then winked, "Don't do anything I won't do!"  
  
Van staggered out with Orion lumped against him, muttering some incoherent song beneath his breath. The noise faded down the hall. Shortly Van returned, more exhausted than before, and saw Hitomi sitting on the bed holding a wooden box.  
  
"What's in here, Van?" she shook the box curiously.  
  
Flushed and personal as he was, he quickly went over and took the box from her. "No-nothing.nothing important."  
  
"You have it under locks, so it must be precious. I shook it and it sounded like a piece of paper. C'mon, show me!" she pulled his arm like a child.  
  
"It's." he rolled his eyes, "Oh, alright!" he reached under the futon and found a key then threw it and the box to her.  
  
Hitomi eagerly turned the key and opened the box to find a small painted portrait of herself in her old high school uniform. "Oh my God! It's me! It looks exactly like me! Uncanny! Did you draw this, Van?"  
  
He lay down on the bed, hands behind his head. "No. You won't believe who did. It was Prince Chid. He said that's how he remembers you from five years ago. He gave it to me as a present, so I can always.remember what you look like."  
  
"I had no idea Prince Chid was such a brilliant artist," Hitomi carefully put the picture back and returned the box to its place on the bed stand. Then she lay down and snuggled up next to Van.  
  
"It's strange to see a picture of myself in that uniform. It seems so long ago. We've been through so much and it's only been what, five years? You know, Orion is."  
  
"Incorrigible?"  
  
"I was going to say intriguing. Especially since he used to your little brother in the past life."  
  
"Well, life, past and present, has been hard for him, as it has been for all of us. He drank because he's anxious about the current crisis. You know, we still haven't figured out how you fit into the past life."  
  
"I have a feeling we will soon," she curled up tighter against him.  
  
"You know, we're lucky, all of us, we're lucky that we all met up. If only times were different. If only times were different."  
  
Then they slept, head against head, with closed eyes gazing on an obscure past, an obscure future, and a seemingly non-existent present locked between the two. Other than their soft breathing, only the ticking of Hitomi's watch could be heard. ....  
  
The same full-orbed moon that has risen tranquilly over Fanelia cast a veil of spectral paleness over Basram. Beneath the universal dark, Basram seemed a white sepulchre, embossed with black trees and modern iron buildings.  
  
In the government headquarters, situated near the heart of the country, President Basante sat by a single oil lamp. On the table before him were piles of golden coins that he diligently counted. His fat hands then searched the dark drawers and took out a small account book. After some difficulty in holding the pen properly, he proceeded to write down the number, with his nose nearly touching the paper. But he suddenly forgot the number, so he put aside the book with a grunt and began counting again.  
  
Basante! A voice unexpectedly rang out to him. Yet there was no one in the shadows. The sonorous, god-like voice came from above, and it was all-present, all-consuming. It shot through Basante's mind like a thunder of booming and forte instruments.  
  
Basante scurried to the ground before the table and knelt down, and bowed, accidentally banging his head against the concrete ground. "My-my Lord Branimir!"  
  
Well?  
  
"I've.I've done as you, as you ordered, Your Grace."  
  
Ah, don't use that word 'grace'. It's perfectly nauseating. Go on.  
  
"Yes, Your.Greatness. We've managed to ravage most of the kingdoms on Gaea. There are yet a few left."  
  
Look no further. You see, Basante, this is the problem with oracles: they're so vague. I was told that he reincarnated and is now a king of a kingdom on Gaea. Now, seeing as how Gaea obviously has more than one kingdom, I've had to resort to the pathetic scheme of attacking them all in order to smoke out my old friend. But, the voice cackled, I've already confirmed it. Those dragons came out of Fanelia and killed one of my darlings.  
  
"Milord, do you mean to say that all this time it was Fanelia? You've been meaning to catch King Van? I thought as such."  
  
Ah.yes. You've done well, Basante. You will have more to do. If you succeed, you will be rewarded. How does.oh.infinite wealth sound?  
  
"Oh, thank you, Lord Branimir!" Basante nodded greedily and banged his head again.  
  
The voice sniggered. You can take the treasures and do whatever you like. A being such as I have no use for wealth. Of course, I cannot give you the power of Atlantis. That's what I want for myself. It's rightfully mine.  
  
"Of course, Lord. You Magnificence deserve the power to transform thought into energy, to create destiny!"  
  
Hell, no! Don't you listen to that old fool Dornkirk. He knew nothing. Neither did Leon Schezar. The true power of Atlantis is greater than that. Understand something, Basante, destiny is not so easy to create. Hmm.as annoying as this is, the power is unleashed not by hate, but by love. I know, I know, but I didn't make up the rules. That goddamn Angelus did. I'm sure you've witnessed the power in the Destiny War. He wins, he always wins, because of her. His will is the key but his will is fuelled by her. Without her, the power is useless. Ah.if only she loved me. Yes.she whose wishes and emotions opens the gate of Time.  
  
"Milord, do you mean to say that we should love our enemy?"  
  
Fool! Have you been listening to me all this time? Let me ask this, what defeats love? You're going to say hate, but no, that is not the right answer. If love is a flame, we are its logs - it burns us but it needs us in order to burn. We either break it, or.if that fails, I have something else for the future.  
  
"What are my orders now, Lord Branimir?"  
  
Sit tight for now. Strengthen your men. I'll carry out my plan first then contact you with further instructions.  
  
The voice died out, leaving Basante kneeling in the shadows. He knuckled his temple in confusion then scampered back to his coins. ....  
  
Early mornings in Fanelia always have a purple tint. Hitomi opened her eyes slowly and inhaled but she did not smell a scent of lavender as she had hoped. The energy surge she felt last night when her and Van prayed still remained in her. She shuffled around uneasily then turned on her side and looked at Van.  
  
He slept tense and straight, with a slight frown. She felt he looked like a dream, a beautiful dream. She did not have to look into his eyes to know that even in sleep his mind is troubled by heavy sentiments, tragedy and heroism. She scrutinized his neck and found it very poetic. Then she lightly touched the pendant hanging over his chest, and she ran her fingers along his thin, sculpture-like collarbones. All his physical greatness serves to conceal the oceanic soul beneath.  
  
She positively began to play with his collarbones. In discomfort, Van woke up but smiled upon seeing her.  
  
"Hey, handsome," she pushed aside the hair draped over his face. "You know, I really like sleeping next to you. It makes me feel like I'm home."  
  
He touched her face sadly then sat up against the wall. "Another day, huh?"  
  
She leaned over and they kissed. Then, suddenly, everything went dark for Hitomi. All around her was blackness, empty and still. Van disappeared. A mist of light descended but the light felt so hot and invasive. It gathered into a single point and stretched up until it became a pillar of light. Through her half-closed eyes, Hitomi saw herself, or an image of her future self being stolen away by the light. She heard herself screaming for Van. Then Escaflowne emerged from the darkness, with Van crying for her. The pillar withdrew into the sky, and Escaflowne chased after it. But suddenly, the dragon heart stopped beating and the fabric wings disappeared. As Escaflowne fell, Van flew up with his own wings and resumed the path of pursuit. But the sky blocked him, something struck him and he plunged with ineffectual wings, straight to the ground. The last image she saw was Van lying motionless in a pool of blood. Her scream filled the room.  
  
"Hitomi! Hitomi!" he clutched and shook her, searching for a glimmer of life in her eyes. When she regained herself, she saw his anxious face, on the brink of tears.  
  
"Oh Van! Thank goodness you're okay!" she cried out then held him in her violently shaking arms.  
  
"Me? I was worried about you. Was it a vision?"  
  
"Oh God!" she shuddered, "It was my worst nightmare. I was taken by the pillar of light, but when you came to chase after me, Escaflowne crashed and you fell, then you.you died!" She buried her face in his arms.  
  
"But you've had these visions before, and they didn't come true, right?"  
  
"Because I was able to stop them. But if I'm taken away, I won't be here to prevent it. This means that when the pillar of light comes, you can't fly after me!"  
  
"What? How do you expect me not to? I have to give it a try. Maybe it'll be different."  
  
"No, you will die! Wherever I get transported to, I'll be okay. We'll figure something out later. I cannot let the vision come true! I need you alive. Fanelia needs you alive. I'd rather be separated from you than have you die!" she yelled with a passion.  
  
"But I'd rather die than be separated from you again!"  
  
"Van, don't be selfish and stubborn," they both stood up furiously and Hitomi walked over to the window.  
  
"How could you say that? If I had been selfish and stubborn enough, I would never have let you go five years ago! On Serenus, you said you'd live in Fanelia from now on, you said that, you said it's your home! So we've both decided that you would stay. Now if some external force is going to separate us, either by distance or death, then by heavens, I won't let it! For all we know, you may be transported to somewhere dangerous, I need to be there to protect you!"  
  
She crossed her arms and stared at the view, and did not answer for a long time. "You know something, Van, I think I was wrong on Serenus when I decided to stay with you. I didn't think it through. I don't really think Fanelia is my home. Earth is."  
  
"What?" he whispered wretchedly. She has never used such a cold tone with him.  
  
"You know why you shouldn't come after me? Because I don't want you to. I want the pillar of light to take me home. I may not have a family anymore, but I still have friends. You shouldn't think you're all I've got."  
  
"Hi-Hitomi?"  
  
"Damn it, Van, damn it all!" she swore for the first time in front of him. "Can't you see that the prophecy is true? The king of Fanelia, part draconian, pilot of the Ispano guymelef, is destined for the winged sorceress from Serenus who opens the portal of Time and moves the heavens! And you know what, that's not me! It's Seraphine! That's probably why Branimir wants to kill you, because he loves her too." She walked up to him and stared at him in the face. "She is your destiny. Defy it if you can, dragon."  
  
Van blinked his dry eyes and everything before him faded to dust. He nodded to himself then turned and proceeded with laboured steps to the door. When he opened it, Orion and Merle, who had been crouching outside the door, fell in on his feet. They expected a furious glare, but all they received from Van before he walked off was a tragic smile.  
  
Merle stormed into the room. "How could you, Hitomi, how could you? You hurt him five years ago, must you do it over and over again? Lord Van loves you so much, can you not see that? He really would rather die! You and your stupid visions!" Merle stumped her foot then ran out in tears.  
  
Hitomi stood like stone and stared at the dust particles floating in the bright morning light. Then, as if in a swoon, she dropped against the wall and glided down to the ground. A sheer, blank abyss consumed her.  
  
Orion walked in and casually squatted down beside her. "You know, Van may be great with people in the public sphere but in his private life, he's not that smart with people, not usually anyways. He's simply too honest to know that you didn't mean a word you just said. Gotta hand it to you, you're great at acting. Sure fooled the two of them," he held out a handkerchief. She looked down and took it to wipe her tears.  
  
Orion continued. "Merle and I are masters at eavesdropping. We heard about the vision. So don't hate yourself. But Merle's right, he would rather die, the same way he'd die for ideals on a battlefield. That's Van for ya!" She still kept her head down. "You have no idea how hard the past five years without you have been for him. He'd like to think that he has a choice, but the choice is really yours. You choose to stay or leave. Because he loves you, he trusts that whatever choice you make is the best one, so he'll accept it the way an old man resigns to death. C'mon," he pulled her up and helped her to an armchair.  
  
"Let him resign to it for now. Don't you worry, Hitomi, I'll be here to save him if he ever needs the help. But eventually, he'll figure his way out and you two will be together again."  
  
Hitomi peered up at Orion, so different from last night. She saw how his clean, gentle and sunny face reminded her of her own brother. That face was like a windswept plain upon which light and shadow danced continually. "Orion," she finally said, "You believe in Van, don't you?"  
  
He grinned. "It's not so much belief as it is innate knowledge." He then kissed her hand and left the room. Alone and cold, she covered her mouth to muffle her convulsive sobs. ....  
  
In the morning, old Nestor had been down by the canal making an updated report on the citizens' well-being and living arrangements. As soon as he received word that King Van is called an emergency meeting, he ran as fast as his aged body could allow. When he arrived panting and aching, all the lords of Fanelia and Asturia have already assembled in the conference room. Van sat expressionless at the head of the table, next to Allen and Millerna. The meeting was to be kept a secret among the governing people of the two countries. Nestor recorded the following details in his daybook:  
  
"White, 13th Moon, Year of the Emerald Star, 5 ADW King Van began the meeting by reiterating the conclusions of yester night's Gaean Alliance meeting: the triumvirate was dissolved, economic sanctions were imposed against Basram, and further weapons development was permitted. The question of war was left unanswered. He now informed us that the enemy that has set base on Oceanus Procellarum is a group called the Fireans, who possess power from Atlantis, and are in league with Basram. While the motive of their belligerence is yet unknown, King Van is certain they will attack Fanelia soon. Therefore, to protect the people of both countries, he has proposed a secret scheme not to be revealed to our allies: the cliffs behind the castle have been tested previously for stability and experts say they could be drilled in case the city should expand. King Van suggests we do drill into the cliffs and create chambers hidden inside where our people may evacuate to in order to be protected from the future attack. Everyone voted in favour of the scheme, though not without uncertainty as to its success." Nestor and his colleagues then commenced the weary business of drawing up plans and hiring workmen. The scheme was coined Operation High Sky.  
  
Allen took one look at Van and offered to supervise the operation while Van took a break. Van neither accepted nor refused, just simply shrugged his shoulders and headed down to the garden.  
  
The line of path he walked was zigzagged, and the onlookers sighed with concern at their king. He stumbled across Merle kneeling beside a little cat girl, lying by the fountain.  
  
"Oh, Lord Van, are you alright?"  
  
"Sure, Merle, why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"Well, you know.with Hitomi?"  
  
He knelt down next to her and looked at the sleeping child. "And who's this?"  
  
"Oh, this is Vianne. I told you about her in the letter, remember? I've been meaning to tell you.I want to adopt her as my child. I'll raise her on my own, because I really love her. Is it.is it okay with you?"  
  
"You don't need my permission, Merle. The castle will be brighter with a child around," he touched Vianne's cheek.  
  
The child suddenly opened her big, crystal eyes. "The king!" she said in her adorable little voice and giggled.  
  
"Hello, Vianne."  
  
"You know my name!" she got up excitedly and crawled onto his lap and began exploring his face with her tiny hands. "Miss Merle say Lady Hitomi from Mystic Moon, all the way up."  
  
At this time, Hitomi, after pacing around and recalling everything that ever happened with Van, decided to come and apologize. She found him by the fountain but she paused behind the corner and listened to him talk with the little girl.  
  
"King Van," Vianne tucked on his shirt, "tell me about her."  
  
"Well.she's got beautiful green eyes like you. She.she helps us all a lot. I like it when she smiles a lot. She's kind, and.and." Hitomi, leaning against the wall, felt her tears hot on her cheeks.  
  
"Miss Merle tell Vianne you love each other. What's it feel like?"  
  
"Love? Well.I've never really thought about that. I suppose love is not like anything else. It can't be compared. Like what you and Miss Merle share is love."  
  
"So it's the happiest thing in the world?"  
  
"Yes.I suppose it is." Van gently placed the girl on her bed and kissed her forehead.  
  
Hitomi felt she could withhold no longer. In the corner of her mind, she seemed to have heard music, a melodious, angelic silver stream of notes that trickled out from some enchanted vale. She closed her eyes to listen to its sorrowful beauty and took a step out from behind the corner, towards Van.  
  
But the sunpillar shot down with incredible force and hostility, throbbing in its cold blue light. Hitomi was instantly imprisoned by its grasp and she floated up, helpless, horrified and screaming.  
  
Van turned around immediately. White feathers then glided upon the wind that carried away his calls of her name. His feet lifted off the ground.  
  
~ End of Part VI ~  
  
  
  
Notes and Points of Interest: The title "Angelus of War" was taken from the poem "The Broken Tower" by Hart Crane; an angelus is the bell announcing the Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary said at morning, noon and sunset. Geography: other than Asgard, the names of the other continents on Gaea were taken from cities in ancient Greece and Rome. Sorry, I really don't know if the original series had names for the continents. Gaean Calendar: most of Book One takes place in the Year of the Emerald Star (it connects with Hitomi's eyes, the color of Fanelia and the green star Van named on Serenus), and it's 5 ADW, which stands for five years After Destiny War, a term Van made up. As far as the months go, I've made some up whereas the others are taken from the Compendium, based on the original series: Jan.- emerald, Feb.- purple, Mar.- rose, Apr.- white, May- yellow, Jun.- orange, Jul.- lilac, Aug.- red, Sep.- brown, Oct.- grey, Nov.- blue, Dec.- green. Orion mentioned his birthday, and it's on Red, 4th Moon (August 4th). Triumvirate: a ruling group of three men in ancient Rome. Guess I should have mentioned this in chapter one, but I didn't have a notes section back then. Also, triumvir doesn't really mean "first among equals", I believe that's what a principate is. Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms) is an actual ocean (the only one) on Earth's Moon Two of the books Hitomi saw in Van's room, "Ways of Warriors, Codes of Kings" and "The Book of Five Rings" are actual ancient Japanese texts on the art of war and swordsmanship. Poetics is just a fictional language I made up (like Atlantean), it has nothing to do with poetry, except the fact it's spoken only by poets, philosophers, men of letters and students. Orion and Selena will speak a few lines of it in a later chapter. 


	7. This Pendant World

Gaea Regained Wow!!! You guys have spoiled me with your compliments! Thank you, thank you! Keep 'em coming, hehe! And please, please tell all your fellow esca fans about this story, cuz I really want my wish of a wide readership to come true. Once again, this chapter is long, but I posted it anyways because many people requested it. However, I can't update so frequently, due to publicity reasons of course. Plus, I'll be going on vacation to Bali soon - wheeee, the sun, the beach (. So, the next chapter will take some time.sit tight for now, but fly high!!!!  
  
VII. This Pendant World  
  
being to timelessness as it's to time  
  
love did not more begin than love will end; where nothing is to breathe to stroll to swim love is the air the ocean and the land. love is the voice under all silences the hope which has no opposite in fear; the strength so strong mere force is feebleness: the truth more first than sun more last than star. e. e. cummings  
  
I am haunted by numberless islands and many a Danaan shore, Where Time would surely forget us, and Sorrow come near us no more; Soon far from the rose and the lily and the fret of the flames would we be, Were we only white birds, my beloved, buoyed out on the foam of the sea! W.B. Yeats, "The White Birds"  
  
Just as Van's wings allowed him to ascend five feet into the air, Orion dashed out of the castle, passed the frantic Merle and grabbed onto Van's legs. "Get down, Van! Now! If you fly any higher, the vision will come true! C'mon!"  
  
But Van heard nothing. His soul was surrounded only by his own despairing calls of her name. "Hitomi! Hitomi!" He cried out to her the way a starved and forlorn child cries out to a distant God.  
  
Merle helped Orion pull him down. "Lord Van, please, please come down. You've got to listen to us!"  
  
"Van!" Orion yelled with a grunt. "Stop beating your wings in my face! It really hurts! Come on! We'll find her later, I promise!" Some bystanders hurried to help Orion; some went running to find King Allen. But all efforts were ineffectual.  
  
"Let me go! Let me go!" In the turmoil of desperation, Van hit Orion across the head and freed himself from the chain of hands imprisoning him. He soared towards destruction.  
  
"No, Van, no!" Orion screamed after him then something daunting and unnatural happened. In an infinitesimal amount of time, white wings were born out of Orion's back and with them he instinctively flew after Van and caught him before death did.  
  
"Orion?" Van stared at him with shock.  
  
"Come on. I promised Hitomi I'd protect you, so get down. Don't make me break my promise."  
  
"Look, y-you have wings. You're, you're flying."  
  
"Huh?" Orion seemed not to have noticed the change in his body. When he looked down at the diminished landscape, all instincts of flying vanished and he grabbed onto Van with a shiver. "Umm.o-okay. This is.this is.really, really high. I have no idea how I got here. But can we please get back down now, Van?"  
  
Van looked up and fixed his gaze at the zenith where blue traces of the sunpillar were still lingering. He squinted his immense eyes and tried to sense where she had gone. "Hitomi?" The heavens sent down nothing. He felt Orion trembling in fright against him, so with a sorrowful resolve, he descended.  
  
The crowd on the ground was tumultuous with shock, perhaps even a little exhilarated. Whispers of "he's a draconian too" could be heard. Merle held Van with anxious tears that no one understood since none of them knew of Hitomi's prophetic vision. Orion stood in the middle, not knowing how to react and even more ignorant as to how he could make the wings disappear. Van whispered in his ear, "Just imagine them disappearing. Picture it and it'll happen."  
  
He succeeded and fell to the ground. He had known misery, death, illness, poverty, joy, but never the daunt of a new life, a revolution of everything he had thought he knew. He felt he had been living a lie, an unreality. Van stood sombrely in front of him, and looked down at him. But he thought Van's eyes, far from providing an answer, expressed a mysterious mixture of agony, anger and relief.  
  
Allen dispersed the gossiping crowd. Selena and Merle stayed looking at them with what felt like compassion. "Orion?" Allen asked in astonishment.  
  
He opened his mouth to respond but no coherent answer came out. He tried again with a lapse of tone. "I just.I just.really don't know. Hitomi said that Van must not chase after her when she gets taken so I went after him.by pure instinct. It couldn't have been.when Van and I had a blood pact. I.it must have been born in me.you know.wings and all."  
  
"Were your parents.draconians?" Allen asked cautiously.  
  
"I never knew my parents. My mother was a.a.a prostitute. She went from country.to country. She left me, abandoned me in the Dragons' Nest in Fanelia, when I was a baby. I suppose they didn't eat me because.because I'm a dragon too. When my guardian found out who my mother was and took me to see her, I was only five. But she.she cursed at me, said I had.bad blood.cursed blood. Then she pushed me out." Selena began weeping for him. "I never saw her again. I guess maybe she knew I was a.draconian. That's why she didn't love me. Of course, my father could have been anyone.maybe a draconian."  
  
No one knew what to say. Being a descendant of Atlantis was a curse and a blessing, even after the Destiny War. Van gave everyone a final stare then rushed off, gesturing for Merle not to follow him.  
  
Selena went up to Orion and put a cloak on his back. "Orion," she whispered to him. "I think they're beautiful." He turned around in gratitude and confusion, unsure if she would love him because he was a draconian like Van or in spite of him being one. He smiled feebly at her before getting up to chase after Van.  
  
"Brother." Selena held onto Allen's arm.  
  
"Don't worry," he put his arm around her. "It's shocking, I know. But it's all aptly so, aptly so." They headed into the castle, followed by Merle with Vianne in her arms. ....  
  
The sky had begun to shed the gloomy mask of the past few days and a blue patch was magnanimously revealed. Fanelia enjoyed daytime heat once again. Orion ran and panted beneath the sunshine and knew Van would be in the last place where he did not look.  
  
He entered the dell reverently and saw Van kneeling in front of the royal tombs, as silent and still as those who lie beneath. He crept up and whispered. "Van? Don't you have anything to say to me?"  
  
Van ignored at first and lay down, down but tense against the flatness of the ground. He then said, "You don't understand, the change is as much for you as it is for me. When Folken died.I thought I was the last draconian. But now.I'm not alone anymore."  
  
Orion sighed and lay down beside him. "So I guess we do share the same blood in a way. But being a draconian? Heavens, I really don't know what that means. Anyhow, that's enough about me. It's not like I'm in any danger. I just need a few flying lessons," he chuckled then paused for a while. "You are never alone, Van. Yes, I know, I know, you feel alone without her, but."  
  
Van closed his eyes. "I have to make a decision now."  
  
For the next few moments, they lay contemplating the sky and listening to the soft susurrus of the tress accompanied by birdsong. The sky was more translucent than blue, a little pale. But even if white, Van believed the sky had strength, as it always does. Its strength is infused by the sun and not mutable like his own human strength, which is subject to physical and emotional failings. The empyrean is the eternal hero.  
  
"So, Van," Orion broke the silence. "Do you think that blue patch up there is really the only sky?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe it's a blue world."  
  
"Ah. You know what, I think we're such jerks," Van glanced at him and frowned, "Well, maybe only you. Tell me, why is it that on a battlefield, you can make the decision to take someone's life within seconds, and yet now you can't decide whether or not to go after the woman you love?"  
  
"Then why did you stop me?"  
  
"Because I made an instinctive decision. Look, I know you'll eventually decide to go find her but it won't be today. The right time will come and you will feel it intuitively. I stopped you not because I never want you to go, but I had to keep my promise to Hitomi. If you die, you'll leave her all alone no matter where she is. Have you thought about that?"  
  
"Hitomi." Van muttered to himself and partly regressed back to the agony and excruciating pining that characterized the past five years. "I.I can't feel her presence."  
  
"Don't worry," Orion patted his shoulder. "You will soon. Look, I know being without her is really painful for you, but perhaps this is some kind of a test. You see, you love.well, it isn't exactly ordinary. It's otherworldly. For the rest of us, we see a plain blue sky up there, that's our only reality and it's all we'd dream of reaching. But you see the sky beyond this sky, the reality that rises above the reality of Gaea. Hitomi is like your cosmic vision. Because such vision is beyond Gaean bounds, it has a certain danger. You two are mortals who'd been given eternity, so maybe the gods need to make sure you can handle such an enormous thing."  
  
Van stood up and dusted the grass off his pants, and then he held out his hand to help Orion up. "You're right. I'll decide at the right moment. Thanks.brother." He smiled slightly then headed towards the castle. But he suddenly stopped before exiting the dell, as if struck by wonder.  
  
"What is it, Van?" Orion ran to him.  
  
"It's her.It's." Van was somewhat out of breath, "Hitomi. I can feel her presence, it's like how we used to dream of each other. She's safe," he smiled at the sky then repeated gently, "She's safe." Van felt that he would gradually regain connection with her, and that eventually they'll meet again. Even when she was gone, she will always be omnipresent.  
  
The two parted, Orion to the military base and Van to oversee Operation High Sky. On his way to find Allen, he came across Dryden, running towards him, with unusual excitement.  
  
"Van, I mean, Your Majesty," he panted heavily and his face was red rather than debonair. "You will not believe what happened!"  
  
"What? Did something go wrong with the scheme?"  
  
"Heavens, no!" he pulled Van to a more private corner. "It's far from being wrong. It's miraculous! You're the first person I've informed. Here," Dryden took out a black velvet pouch and poured its glittering contents onto Van's palm.  
  
"Are these crystals?" Van sounded indifferent since he did not think Dryden really had a point.  
  
"No, better. They're diamonds!" Van's eyes widened. "Congrats, Fanelia is now one of the richest countries in the world. If you'll let me handle the trading, I guarantee money enough for anything."  
  
Van's eyes glittered as when a child first beholds a star. For a moment, Dryden suspected Van of being swayed by wealth, but then the young king exclaimed, "This is great news! This means we have enough resources to finance the army, help the people and rebuild the destroyed countries! I've got to go tell Allen and the others!" He hastily poured the diamonds back into the pouch and ran off with an excited stumble. Dryden watched then chuckled to himself, "That boy is a strange one, but he's good." ....  
  
Other than celebrating with the lords for the discovery of the diamonds, Van spent the rest of the day in his duties. He busied himself with an alacrity and even cheerfulness few have witnessed. Such behavior worried Allen since he expected his friend to act the exact opposite in Hitomi's absence.  
  
Van began by personally writing a thank you note to all the delegates who came to the alliance meeting. He wrote a longer letter to President Menulf of Zaibach inquiring after the weapons development plan, and he did not hesitate to advise the president not to exceed the limit necessary for defence. Van then went down to the food shelter and helped Merle hand out bread and water to the citizens. Afterwards, he conducted a meeting with Orion and the military commanders. A special missions unit was placed aside to use as emergency reinforcement in case any of their neighboring countries were invaded. Towards evening, Van joined the rank of diggers at the cliffs. The earthy scent of the underground caves and the sound of dripping water suspended time, and Van enjoyed the work until finally his body was exhausted, against the wishes of his mind.  
  
He retired to his room without eating dinner. In the darkness, surrounded by familiar things, he felt it safe to think. Hitomi's presence from the previous night was still there. Suddenly, he received another spark from her - she is in Gaea! She is safe and here in the same world. He nearly cried out in joy. The "right time" will come soon, he mused. But no, he restrained his mind. Something was disturbing about this. In a terrifying epiphany, he realized that all his activities during the day constituted a preparation for war, the war he had consciously tried to avoid. He himself had unconsciously made the war inevitable. Gaea will soon be steeped in the blood of war, again, and she will be in this world, amidst the danger and violence. She will once again witness his own savagery on the battlefield.The past flooded back in all menace and dread. Fanelia will no longer be the peaceful home he had invited her to live in for the rest of her life.  
  
"Does this mean that, after I find her, I will have to send her back to the Mystic Moon?" he dared to ask himself, but then he covered his own ears, in fear of any answer. In a frozen position, he fell into stupefied and unrestful sleep.  
  
He usually did not dream, unless it was with Hitomi. But that night he heard voices in the complete darkness of his sleep. First it was Aleph's deep, solemn voice saying, "What will soon happen will be painful but you will come through. Let Freya's love heal you." The last phrase was repeated with emphasis, "Let Freya's love heal you." Then Aleph's voice faded. Folken's soothing voice followed, but it simply said, "Believe."  
  
Van awoke with a start, and thought he has only been sleeping for a few minutes. But he looked outside and it was nearly dawn. Exhausted and dejected, he slipped out of bed and washed his face. As is customary every morning, he stood on his balcony with a cup of tea, and waited for the sun to rise over Fanelia. Even in the gloom of impending war, the silent purple light unfurled itself over the kingdom, as it did when he had first become king on that fateful day. But everything had changed since the Destiny War. He looked back on that time as a nightmare and his own mood as a sickness. Now, instead of raging, vengeful flame, there was an unresolved, whimpering dismay within him. It was the vagueness of indecision.  
  
As a king, it is his duty to make decisions. But he could not. I find her, and either let her go home safely, or keep her here with me.in a world of war. In all selfishness, he wanted to keep her here, and he justified the idea by saying that he'd protect her from all harms of war. But no, it would feel almost like a betrayal. After all, it was I and Escaflowne that brought the war.  
  
Free will felt like a burden. He did not want to choose and to be responsible for the choice. He hated always being the one to decide, the one every person looked up to as the paragon of excellence. They expected him to make the right choice. He did not know what was right. He had disbelieved fate and gods, but he now knew that it was arrogant of him - he will always answer to Time and Love. Time, not fate, made the travels to the past and future possible. Having seen the future, he has been given a privilege. But one should never attempt to change fate and shape the world as one sees fit. The dynamics of cause and effect would be muddled up. The decision he makes would affect the future and he did not want to be responsible for such a muddle. He was forced to take the rein, as if to test his worthiness.  
  
Hitomi had made the choice five years ago, but she has returned, making it somehow incumbent upon him to bear the burden this time. At such moments, he desired fate and destiny to be handed to him on a golden plate. He wanted the pressing, the inescapable, and the tyrannical to tell him what to do.  
  
At last the sun had fully risen and the purple ether faded into a light gold. Van finished his tea and thought that big decisions should not be dissected or complicated, but simply left to one full minute. With that in mind, he went inside and changed his clothes, and buckled on his sword.  
  
On his way to see Nestor, he paused by the medical area on the ground floor of the castle. A strange, lamenting wail floated like a haunting ghost above the patients' hall. Van stopped and peered in. A woman, not young, not old, was crouched over a dead soldier and she sobbed with a heart-freezing pain at the most unendurable loss. Van felt a chill. He saw Selena standing in the corner, and he walked over to her. "What happened?"  
  
"Oh, Van!" she was startled. "I didn't even see you coming. Well, that's Karo, he was part of the Fanelian troop that came to rescue Asturia. He was badly wounded in the chest. We had hoped he'd survive, but.His love, Nairn, she watched him die earlier this morning. I'm just worried she'll carry out her threat of killing herself."  
  
Van turned and meditated on the scene. The poignancy of death-parted lovers.something in him was burning and illuminated. For one minute, he felt the woman's agony as if it were his own. The right time has come and he finally decided. He thanked Selena then proceeded to tell Orion of his decision.  
  
As he had expected, Orion was already teaching archery to some amateur soldiers in front of the castle gate. Van waited until the students went off to practice, then he picked up a bow and some arrows for himself.  
  
"Good morning, my brother, what brings you here?"  
  
"I've made up my mind," Van said, standing in the shooting position.  
  
Orion came up and adjusted Van's right arm a bit. "Not so tense, Your Majesty. That's better. So what'll it be?"  
  
Van let the arrow loose. Straight to the mark. "She sent me a strong feeling last night. She's here on Gaea. I'm going to go on Escaflowne and use the pendant to find her. It shouldn't be a problem." He let out another shot; it missed the target slightly. Van set down the bow and turned to Orion. "What I wanted to tell you is that once I find her, I'm going to send her back to the Mystic Moon."  
  
"What? You're going to send her back? But Van."  
  
"I know. But it's the right choice. You see," he looked up at the sky, "I can't ask Hitomi to stay in a world of war. She hated it before. I'm to blame for this war - don't ask," he gave Orion a glance, "I don't want her to get hurt. She can return to the part of the Mystic Moon that's safe. Perhaps I'll go to her after all this.perhaps not. I will shoulder the karma of war and death.alone."  
  
Orion was dumbfounded for a while then said, "I'll be here to shoulder it with you."  
  
Van patted him on the back. "I know. I think.I hope she'll agree with my decision."  
  
Orion did not make any reply and simply let Van return to archery. Then they both heard Allen calling, "Van, there you are."  
  
"What's the matter, Allen?"  
  
"I just got a message from Freid. Duke Chid requests a meeting with me, reason unknown. He also sent you a message. Here,"  
  
Van took the letter and opened it. He lifted his eyes off the page and sighed in relief. "Hitomi is in Freid with him. She's safe. I'll go with you, Allen."  
  
"Right, Gaddes has already started prepping the Crusade. I'll meet you in ten minutes." Allen hurried off.  
  
Van turned to Orion. "Stay here and help out. I'm not sure when I'll be back. It depends on Allen's meeting. It shouldn't be later than tomorrow noon." He walked off but stopped and added, "I haven't changed my mind. It'll be nice spending some last minutes with her." Then he ran.  
  
Orion looked in his direction with a sober sense of despair and he stood still for a moment before returning to archery. In a short while, the Crusade ascended into the air. Orion gazed up but the sun blinded him and the leviship appeared only as a black patch against the blue sky. He felt an upsurge of strange sensations. It was like the droning of devilish incantations, and it was - as much as he wanted to deny it - apocalyptic. He could imagine death, that last moment of stepping over the precipice, but the apocalypse, a moribund core of ultimate destruction, was unfathomable. In dread, he wondered if it would be one glorious explosion ending all life, or a slow freezing out lacking any tumult or screams. But he also had a dim suspicion that the end of the world was something they already knew but just couldn't remember. It would be like returning to the mother's womb. It's coming. ....  
  
A burnt sienna sun hung over the exotic peaks of Freid's mountain ranges. Over the softly rounded summits, the tranquil Godashim appeared, peaceful and steady in its holiness. Van was glad to know that Hitomi was transported to so beautiful a place.  
  
As soon as the Crusade landed in front of the palace, Van rushed out and saw her, safe and smiling next to Chid. They ran to each other and he held her firmly against his body that felt ready to collapse. "Hitomi! Thank the heavens! I am so sorry."  
  
She cupped his face in her palms. "No, thank you, and thank Orion. I knew he'd keep his word. Your safety means more to me than my own."  
  
"Don't say that, please don't," he bent his head down and kissed her neck, burying his face in the curve between her neck and shoulder.  
  
Meanwhile, the crew of the Crusade watched gleefully, and the other two monarchs greeted each other. "King Allen," Chid addressed in his charming voice. "I'm truly grateful that you were able to come on such short notice. No doubt you are very busy with the present situation. My most sincere condolences for the losses Asturia had suffered. I trust that the provisions I sent were of use?"  
  
Allen bowed. "Of great use, Duke Chid. You have demonstrated magnanimity and wisdom at so young an age. It is most impressive."  
  
"Thank you. We will soon conduct our meeting. Shall we wait for our other guests?" Chid smiled brightly and turned to admire the lovers' reunion.  
  
Allen gazed at Chid and felt an ache. Images of Marlene suddenly dashed across his mind, but remembering Millerna, he quickly checked himself. He noticed that Chid still wore the ring. Something about Chid's blue eyes and golden hair seemed disturbing, because they resembled his own so much. He is my son. Allen made himself brave enough to accept this truth. Yet the loss of his family and of Marlene, left its shadow of unbearable agony with Chid, and though the boy stood healthy and happy in front of him, Allen felt like he had already lost his only son. For one moment, he wanted to forget all civility and just embrace Chid in his arms. He had already endured the ordeal of losing the one child he had with Millerna, and further bereavement would render all his chivalric ideals folly and his life meaningless. Facing this, the invincible knight and charismatic king felt himself reduced to a coward.  
  
"King Van," Chid interrupted the two lovers, "I'm sorry for intruding, but I must inform you that I apologize for the delayed massage. It was just that Hitomi said you already knew she was safe. Plus, her and I desired some time together to talk about the past five years."  
  
'There's no need to apologize, Duke Chid. Hitomi has already explained everything. I should thank you instead."  
  
Chid bowed then went with Allen to sit on a nearby bench. The crew was also dismissed. The couple still remained on the same spot.  
  
"Van, I'm so very sorry I yelled at you like that. I just didn't want you to chase after me then get yourself killed. Saying those things was the only way I could think of. Orion told me you took it all seriously."  
  
"I did," he laughed at himself. "But I thought that if you really wanted to leave me, then I have to accept it."  
  
"You silly boy!" they put their foreheads together. "So was that our first lovers' quarrel?" she giggled. "I'm just glad the vision did not come true. Somehow I feel it's all my fault again. I should never have done the Ra-Maat reading," she wriggled out of his arms and walked off a little. "It pulled ill fate into place. I don't want to go back to the Destiny War."  
  
"Hitomi, how can it be your fault? Be it past or present, it was I who called the war into place. Branimir is here because of me, not you. Besides, I asked you to do the reading. If it weren't for your visions, I would have died a long time ago. Gaea would have been destroyed," he pulled her back to him, "You're the savior of us all."  
  
Ignoring the onlookers, they kissed. But the impassioned kiss of reunited and inseparable lovers was more than the coupling of two souls. It created a mingling of two worlds. Drawn with a coveting the one of the other, one opened its mouth and the other poured in, fusing two dimensions, two realities, and two natures, in one whole universe. Thus did Gaea and Atlantis come together.  
  
Immersed in each other's caress, Van and Hitomi did not at first notice that their world had been transformed. Chid's yell awoke them. "Hitomi! Van! What happened?"  
  
They looked around with a daunted jolt. Allen and Chid had been caught in the middle of the merging worlds also. "It looks like the Mystic Valley to me," Allen said as he came running. "How in the world did we get here?"  
  
Van observed the ancient city, lying in glorious ruins of marble pillars and faded splendor of awesome power. "You're right, this is Atlantis. I didn't even see anything happen."  
  
"Neither did we. One second we were sitting there, then we felt a certain disturbance, very subtle, kind of like a wind. When we looked up the next second, Freid had disappeared."  
  
The two men stepped forward in a defensive position, wanting to protect the woman and the child. Chid held onto Hitomi's hand. "What are you thinking about, Hitomi?" he asked.  
  
Everyone then turned to her. She stood as if in a dazed dream and stared straight in front of her at the Atlantean ruins. Then she said, in a rather monotonous voice, " 'When Atlantis comes to you, go to the Tree of Life and Death, and there dig up the relic. The dragon and the phoenix shall rise and together rule the sky.'"  
  
Van gasped. "Seraphine's instructions! I nearly forgot. Atlantis came to us! Okay, now we must find the Tree!" He ran forward.  
  
Allen and Chid stood more perplexed than ever. "Who's Seraphine?" Allen shouted. "What's going on here, Van? What's this Tree of Life and Death?"  
  
"There!" Hitomi suddenly pointed up at an elevated plateau, upon which stood a single tree with majestic foliage. "Up there, Van! It's the same tree you sat under that time when you almost died and I came to find you, remember?"  
  
Van looked up swiftly then beckoned everyone with fervor. "You're right, Hitomi! Come on, everyone, let's go! Let's go!" he led the way, followed by Hitomi and Allen, who held Chid's shaking hands.  
  
The four of them meandered through the streets, up the steps and finally crossed the bridge that led up to the plateau. "Okay," Van regained his breath, "I guess now we start digging."  
  
"Where? With what?" Allen asked irritably.  
  
"With our hands, near the roots of the tree." Van ran over to the tree and knelt down. Everyone else followed his example and began overturning the earth. Beneath the umbriferous branches of the great tree, they dug away nervously, fearing that the next minute will bring another change of worlds. Van felt it strange that there was a total lack of wind. He was used to hearing the rustling of tress but this one produced none. "I wonder why it's called the Tree of Life and Death," Hitomi muttered to herself. No one answered.  
  
Because the dirt was soft and loose, the digging was not laborious, but it was directionless and frenzied. After some time, Chid exclaimed, "Hitomi! Come here, I found something!"  
  
The three adults hurried over to Chid's side and saw inside the hole, a partly concealed shining object. Van reached in and pulled it out. "It really is a relic," he wiped away the dirt, "Look, a dragon and a." The object was a bit filthy, but pure gold, resplendent even after aeons. Its intricate carving demonstrated exquisite craftsmanship. The symbolism was as labyrinthine as the designs, teasing the mind into a mysterious passage that extended back to the beginning of time. A piece of the relic had been broken off.  
  
"The other creature in the carving looks like a bird," Chid pointed out.  
  
Hitomi scrutinized the object closer. "It's a phoenix." The fierce winged dragon and the fiery phoenix held in between their claws a circular object that was unidentifiable.  
  
"Just like we were told," Van said. "But look, the curve of the bird's tail is broken off." Everyone dug around in the vicinity for the missing piece but to no avail.  
  
Suddenly Hitomi's eyes brightened and she searched in her pockets. Then she took out the golden crescent, the broken piece of treasure she unearthed at Akrotiri. "Van, these two look alike, don't they?"  
  
"Do you think they'd fit together? Here, try it," he handed her the relic.  
  
Cautiously, she fitted her thin, little golden piece into the gap in the phoenix's crescent tail. It became whole; the transformation was complete. Then, as the relic regained its entirety, it resonated and blazed with a strange fire. It floated out of Hitomi's hands and hung beautifully in mid air. The four of them stepped back in awe and thought how real, how alive the two golden creatures looked.  
  
The Universe too responded strongly to the completion of the ancient relic. It seemed to have sent Hitomi a certain message and she became mesmerized by the mystic glow of the relic. Her eyes became hollow and reflected not her own soul, but the fire alone. Oblivious to everyone's warning, she pushed Van away and reached out to hold the object. Contact with it scorched her skin but she held on, and Van could not pull her hands off. From then on, everything became illusory for her.  
  
Allen and Van tried in vain to call her back. She simply stood with the relic, lost in an ancient and distant world. Suddenly, an explosion of blinding light sent the two men backwards. Van partly shielded his eyes from the radiance but through the garish light, him, Allen and Chid could see Hitomi's face, changing.  
  
Enveloped by the light, the only thing Hitomi could see was her watch. She saw the two arms of time start spinning faster and faster, sweeping the ocean of Time onto the shores of future. The light died out. Everyone's gasps were followed by her own scream as she touched her withered, wrinkled face. The whole of Atlantis echoed her scream like an empty tunnel.  
  
"Time.time has sped up for her. She's.she'd o-old," Allen whispered in terror, and he held Chid back as Van went forward, nearly tripping over to the ground.  
  
Hitomi slowly regained her consciousness. She threw the relic at the tree then ran to the edge of the plateau and looked down at the abyss. The laws of Time have been broken for her. No longer young and beautiful, she was convinced she did not deserve Van. She leapt off the precipice. Yelling and screaming, Van dived after her. Amid the downpour of white feathers, she saw his hand reach down for hers. But she wanted to resist. She saw his mouth moving, his eyes in tears, and she felt his arms trembling as he held her. She couldn't hear anything but only gazed at him with shame and embarrassment. Being old, she found she had very little strength so she had to submit to his embrace. He brought her back to the plateau. Then, with Allen and Chid as witnesses, he kissed her, regardless of age, time, distance - all appearances, all surfaces. Their pendant began glowing in unison with the relic.  
  
Another lovers' kiss generated another metamorphosis. The two worlds unwound themselves from each other's arms and soared back to their proper homes. Once again it was two dimensions, two realities, and two natures separate in two different universes. Thus did Gaea and Atlantis break apart.  
  
The four of them stood in front of Freid's palace. Everyone held their breath and stared at one another. All returned to normal. Hitomi touched her own face and sighed in gratitude. They all wanted to dismiss what just happened as an illusion, or an irresponsible dream. However, having a communal dream only served to reinforce the reality of the dream.  
  
Then they noticed the relic shining on the ground in front of them. Everyone withdrew. "So, it was not a dream?" Allen asked in confusion. Silence affirmed "no." The sunset was also evidence - when Atlantis appeared, it was little over noon. Time has elapsed without them.  
  
As the three adults still stood incredulously, Chid bent down and picked up the relic. He wanted to give it to Hitomi, but she shrank back her hands. "Don't worry, Hitomi," Chid smiled angelically, "Even if it was not a dream, it's okay. This golden object is not a curse. It glows with the power of Atlantis. It changed you in order to prove to you and to all of us that your love is needless of time or appearance. Keep it, it's sacred," he shoved it into her hand. "Van still loves you, doesn't he? That's all that matters." Allen came over and laid his hands on Chid's shoulders. Then they went inside the castle.  
  
"Van." Hitomi turned to him with a wistful tremor. "I'm."  
  
"Shh.it's okay," he drew her into his arms. "Returning to Atlantis is like going back to the past. Then you became like that, well, that's like going to the future. But we've strived through both, didn't we? We'll defy it all. Remember Valorick and Hermione? They're proof that the good future is already ours."  
  
Safe in his arms, Hitomi felt both sad and grateful. She has been given the greatest. To express her gratitude, she thanked God, the God of Earth, of her childhood, of the Universe. Then she felt like she should thank a god of Atlantis. Freya was the only one she knew so she thanked the Goddess of Love and Hope. Strangely, the surge of force came again just like it did when she first prayed with Van. Hitomi wanted to unravel the mysterious power that shone through her, but her attention was quickly diverted back to Van. The force just sat still inside her.  
  
Where two mountains joined into a valley, there was a soft cradle and the sun settled into it slowly. The reddening sun disc painted the land orange and washed it with beauty, imperishable and cosmic beauty. The relic, a souvenir of the intermingling of two worlds, glowed gold and red. Atlantis and Gaea may have been sundered, but Van and Hitomi remained together, forever beneath the sun that's eternally reborn. ....  
  
Luxury is considered a noble principle in Basram. Dignity, in the sense of glittering superiority, is based on luxury. President Basante's bed was a product of luxury. But it was more than a bed. It was at least twenty times the size of a futon. It was canopied with red silk and satin, and cushioned with purple velvet embroidered with gold thread. In the middle is the sleeping area. Attached to its sides are sofas, a writing desk, an eating area with fruit and wine, and near the end of the 'bed', there was a hot tub. The President could rest, eat and bathe all in one space, without having to go from room to room. One canopy encompassed all of life.  
  
Basante was ready to take a bath when the eerie Atlantean voice echoed down from above. Basante!  
  
He nervously rolled out of the tub, spilling water all over his velvet bed, and threw on a robe. "My great Lord Branimir! I'm at your service."  
  
Good. For once your service will be essential. If it were not for the barrier between my world and yours, I'd do everything myself! It seems, the voice chuckled; I've failed time and time again to weaken their love. Such power! Such light! Such eternity! It should have been mine! Vannius stole the one I loved. Yes, even I am capable of the power. But what is lost I must now regain. I will take away his love, his family, his country, his life! I will show him tragedy in a drop of rain. Let the deluge rain down on them! If the Universe regards me as but a piece of earth and them the heavens, then let yon star-illumined heaven bend down to kiss the murky earth!" Basante knuckled his temple in confusion, not knowing why his master had come with such dramatic exclamations that had no meaning for him.  
  
The voice continued with all passion and intensity. Let order die! Banish ideals! Let this Gaea no longer be a stage for the playing forces. Let the end come. Death shall bring those two to my world, the Eternal Realm, and here I may have experiences and power superior to theirs. Basante! The man bowed. Send an assassin to Fanelia tonight. Kill his beloved companion Orion. We shall call that a little appetizer for Vannius. He is now in Freid, and Escaflowne is not with him. In the morning, send your troops to invade Godashim. Bring them to Basram alive.  
  
"Yes, Your Fierceness, I will not fail you."  
  
You'd better not. Seraphine already has. But alas! How can I blame her? She is the reason I'm embroiled in all this. I shall now go to Serenus and bring her. You carry on your tasks. Once they get to Basram, I'll inform you of further plans. The end shall come, I will guide it. Let darkness be the burier of the dead. ....  
  
After a relaxing dinner, Van and Hitomi withdrew to their room. They had not requested to share a room, but Chid allotted only one to them. They sat inside for a while, talking about their day. Van told her about the diamonds found in Fanelia and about Orion's being a draconian. She was more delighted then stunned, for she knew what it meant to Van. They also tried to decipher the mystery with the dragon and the phoenix but in the end, they decided it was perhaps not the right time and place to fathom it.  
  
As the Mystic Moon climbed serenely toward the centre of the starry dome, night seemed a day of white light. They went out onto the balcony and sat down. One blanket covered them both. The sight of the full-orbed moon brought nostalgia and sorrow to Hitomi.  
  
"The war on Earth is still going on. I can feel it. It'll probably drag on for years."  
  
"Wars are always excruciatingly long. Are wars there as bad as they are here?"  
  
"Worse," she sighed, "See, we don't have guymelefs, but we have more powerful weapons. They can kill thousands of people in one second. Van, Chid told me you allowed Zaibach to develop better weapons," he cast his eyes down, "You really must not, Van. Please withdraw the plan. The horrors of mankind lie in the rapidly increasing power that comes with better technology. Earth has proved that. Atlantis has proved that. You mustn't let Gaea meet the same fate."  
  
"I know," he said curtly, "I wanted the weapons for defence. But I guess you're right."  
  
"Van, I know you hated the Destiny War. But everything you've done for the past two days has been a preparation for war. Do you want to see that again?"  
  
"Of course I don't," he responded bitterly, "I've tried to stall it as long as possible. But because this involves the Fireans, Branimir and the past in Atlantis, it's more than just politics. War is.Balgus said that I must use my bloodstained hands to break free from the sorrows of war. But can that actually be possible?"  
  
She laid her head on his shoulder. "If it does get bad and the war erupts, I'll be here to fight it with you."  
  
Van inhaled deeply and threw out the words, "No.you won't."  
  
"What?" she was petrified and a little angry.  
  
"I.I meant to tell you earlier. Before I came to find you, I've resolved to." he cleared his throat, "to send you home to the Mystic Moon. I've thought a lot about this and it's my final decision and I hope you'll agree."  
  
"But, Van, but." she was on the brink of tears, "All those things I said the other day were lies. I pretended to be angry with you. I don't actually want to go back. I really want Fanelia to be my home now," she clutched him.  
  
"It has nothing to do with what you said before. I know you don't want to go back any more than I want you to go. The reason is.the war is inevitable and impending. Fanelia may well be attacked because of me. It won't be the home I promised you. Nothing, absolutely nothing pains me more than to lose you and Fanelia," he held onto her for strength. "Naïve as it sounds, this may be the war to end all wars. We have to get rid of the Fireans somehow. My conflict with Branimir has already dragged on for aeons. I must get to the bottom of this and end it all. Gaea will be hell and I want you to go where it's safe. You said that the place where you were studying with your friends was away from war, so you should go back there until it's all over." She buried her face in his chest and sobbed.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Allen, Orion and all our allies will be by my side. Besides, if I have to fight again.like before, I don't want you here to see me like that. It's too horrifying. Things will get very chaotic. When it's all straightened out, I'll go find you. Fanelia will still be here, damaged or not." He held her and rocked to and fro.  
  
She tried to search for a reason why he would be wrong. "But, Van, you may need my help."  
  
"I.look, if your help puts you in danger then I don't want you to help. It may very well be that Branimir already knows about you, and if you get involved, he may want to kill you too. I cannot allow any chance of that happening."  
  
Hitomi snuggled closer to him and tried to rest. She bravely summarized the events of the past few years: from coming to Gaea, loving Van to losing him, then just a short while ago, she held him again and they embarked on such a journey on Serenus. Now here, back on Gaea, another war.what could all this mean but that Time is cyclical? She shed a tear because she had believed they had risen above the cycle. But tears and contemplation were already insufficient in the face of so much life and death. All was gained, lost and regained. That was the only immortality. She accepted it as the natural cycle of things. Then she concentrated solely on the belief that he will be all right and they will be together again and again.  
  
Van felt her pain excruciatingly but he resolved to remain steadfast to his decision. It was better to be separated from her than to put her in danger. "Hey Hitomi? Remember how Folken said we would feel the right path? Well, I feel this is the right path. That means we'll come through. I hope.no, I know we will." Then Van smiled upon the thought that ever since he met Hitomi, he had become hopeful somehow.  
  
She did not say anything but simply held him and inhaled the scent of the meadows that perpetually diffused from him. She may not be able to do so for another few years.  
  
They rested silently beneath the starlight that was calm one moment and quivering the next. Then, from the deep of the night, they heard an echoing birdsong, drifting out of the sky and softening the darkness. The melody inspired them to lift the veil of mysteries and take one rapturous glimpse at the infinite possibilities of their uncertain future. The song was at once a dirge, an aria and a madrigal.  
  
They looked up and saw the source of the song: two white birds beating their luminous wings in the dark. They seemed to fly at a visionary speed and encircled each other and formed an orbit as binary stars do. "Birds in the middle of the night?" Van asked. The winged creatures in their starry flight brought the two lovers a vision of children singing, of perilous adventures, of eternal woes eternally consoled, of a home they never knew yet have always known.  
  
Hitomi then asked, "Is there a home for us?" ....  
  
Allen had desired some time alone with Chid but when it did come, he felt helpless under its mixture of satisfaction and dread. They took an after-dinner walk in the gardens and mainly conversed about what happened with Asturia. Chid tried to alleviate Allen's weariness by talking about the stars instead. They also discussed the strange event of the afternoon, but like Van and Hitomi, they came to no conclusions. They eventually reached the summerhouse where Chid said his mother liked to spend time alone. Allen entered awkwardly.  
  
After Chid took him on a tour, they returned to the main hall and Allen stood silently by the window. He intuitively felt that Chid had an unspoken purpose for calling him all the way from Fanelia and bringing him to this house. He dared not speculate what the purpose might be. The little child was adorable in his sparkling youth, but he also carried an air of sadness and wisdom. Allen turned away from him.  
  
Chid then went inside a room briefly then came out with his hands behind his back. He stood next to Allen and gazed at the night view with him. A tension had developed but both of them ignored it. Allen thought Chid seemed enigmatic all of a sudden, so distant and even mystic, like the moon above.  
  
"Tell me," Chid asked softly, "Are you proud of me?"  
  
Allen was startled by the question, the one that he had wished his son would ask him. "I, uh.Duke Chid, I sincerely believe that you are a wise and inspirational leader, and you've guided Freid to such a steady and prosperous place in her history. Insofar as my country has a strong alliance, not to mention blood relations, with Freid, then of course.I am proud.of you, I mean." Courtesy was the only way to mask the inner pain and prayer.  
  
But Chid seemed to have seen through the mask and he forced on. "That is not what I meant," he turned to face Allen and continued in a steady voice. "I meant to ask, are you proud of me.as my father?" Chid was relieved to hear himself say the words. The impeccable blue of his eyes was so steadfast that it unnerved Allen.  
  
"How did you." Allen said as he took a few steps back.  
  
Chid revealed the book that he had been holding behind his back. "I found mother's journal by accident. It was hidden in a secret place behind her music box. She loved you before she even met the Duke of Freid, and you loved her. I now know why she told me all those stories about the invincible knight. She kept her love for you alive in me. You still haven't answered my question," Chid maintained all strength and authority whereas Allen sank down into a chair. He suddenly thought of his own father, and how they were reunited in the Mystic Valley. Then he remembered his first love. Her portrait was hanging right there in front of him. He gazed at it and wished her eyes would blink just once and tell him what to do.  
  
The child came to his side. "I talked to Hitomi about this yesterday. She advised me to disclose the truth. She also said you told her five years ago. You've known all along. Why didn't you tell me? I guess.it's because of the Duke.my father." An irrepressible melancholy arose in Chid and tears were ready to stream out.  
  
Allen thought of Millerna and of the possible consequences his union with Chid would produce. But then his eyes reverted back to Marlene's ethereal and sad face. In his mind, he reaffirmed his present and everlasting love for Millerna but he also apologized to her before standing up and opening his arms.  
  
Chid ran into his embrace as they had both dreamed. "Father!" he began sobbing. "My father!"  
  
Allen shivered with his one and only child in his arms. Despite being a man of formidable stability, he shed tears of gratitude for the first time. "Of course I'm proud of you.my son."  
  
"Father, I know this complicates your current family situation with Aunt Millerna. But when I discovered I was no longer an orphan and that you were.I just." he held on tighter. "If another war comes, I don't want to lose you again!"  
  
"You won't, I promise," he stroked the child's golden locks. "I promise."  
  
The embrace of father and son enlivened the night world. Marlene looked down, as if from the portrait, and smiled upon this long-dreamt of reunion. Through the meandering roads of life and circumstances, they were finally brought back to the place where they were always meant to be - a family. The empty halls echoed with the sound of love gained, lost and regained forever. ....  
  
The morning ether was not soft and serene, as they had hoped. Greyness descended upon the whole of Gaea. It was an inauspicious day for a farewell. Nevertheless, Van held Hitomi's hands and they walked towards an open clearing behind Freid's royal castle.  
  
His voice was ever so angelic but the power it had was enough to break her soul. "When all this is over, I'll fly to you again. We'll come back here and use our will power to create a home for ourselves. It'll be a small world inside Fanelia. It won't be like the rest of Gaea, because it will be based on a hopeful wish, and."  
  
"It will be born out of eternal love," Hitomi completed his thought and sentence.  
  
They kissed. Van held her so that her feet were slightly lifted off the ground. She pressed her hand lovingly on his chest and felt the life- giving pulses of his warm and racing heart. "Van, just promise me you'll be careful. I'll wait for you. I'll always wait for you."  
  
He took one last look at her then raised up the pendant. The much hated and much loved pillar came as beckoned. It surrounded them in its cold blueness that appeared exceedingly bright in the grey morning. But nothing happened. Hitomi did not float up like she was supposed to. Neither of them felt weightlessness and they stared at each other in perplexity. Van then held onto her fearing the light would change its mind and take her away. The pillar simply throbbed alone, purposeless and powerless.  
  
"The gravity of love," a voice suddenly came from outside the light. The sunpillar retreated into the clouds. Van and Hitomi blinked hard and beheld before them the man who is a beacon in their tempestuous sea. "B- brother! Brother, I."  
  
"The gravity of love forever binds Hitomi to you and hence to Gaea. No matter what happens. Things are not the same as before."  
  
"The gravity of love?" Hitomi whispered. Strangely, they both felt somewhat disappointed that all the courage they built up for the decision and the farewell had been wasted.  
  
"Don't worry, the courage you've demonstrated proves you have strength, and that strength will be needed later. Van, Hitomi, remember, don't wallow in tragic waters. You two must hang on together."  
  
"Brother, your ideals." Van was interrupted by Gaddes's call. "What is it?" Van turned and asked impatiently.  
  
"Bad new, Your Majesty," Gaddes paused in reluctance. "Emergency message from Fanelia. General Orion, he's.he's been stabbed by an assassin. He's.on the verge of death. We're prepping the Crusade." Gaddes ran off.  
  
"Oh, Van." Hitomi held him but she was unable to support him. He turned with tearful eyes to where Folken had been standing, but he was gone too. Van knelt on the ground in death-like stillness. She feared this was too much for him. For a minute, he forgot Hitomi was even there. Maybe he had been hubristic in defying fate, maybe he should not have come to Freid, maybe.the torrent of thoughts engulfed his soul. He cried out to the Numen, "Aleph! Come out! Why are you putting me through this? Death has already claimed one brother, it cannot take another!" No answer came. He put his head on Hitomi's shoulder like a child. Then, confounded and defeated, he let out a soul-stifling scream.  
  
His outburst of volcanic emotions spread across the land and reached the sky, calling forth some god. The pillar of light shot down and sent him a god, gleaming and valiant, its cloak flowing grandly in the wind.  
  
They both looked up in surprise at what stood in front of them. "Escaflowne?" Van asked.  
  
"Your emotions must have called it here."  
  
"Oh, no!" Van looked horrified. "The sounds of war." he stood up nervously. "If Escaflowne is here, that means.war is near." He began pacing around.  
  
"Van, please stay calm," she pleaded, "Let's just go back to Fanelia. Orion is going to survive. War may not be."  
  
But it was too late. They heard soldiers of Freid yelling, "The Basram army is here." The movements of guymelefs could be heard. They turned to the north and saw a swarm of enemy troops flooding over Freid's mountains.  
  
"Van!" Allen was already in Scherazade. "How did Escaflowne get here? Never mind that, Freid's being attacked. I'm going to defend the front and protect Chid. You take Hitomi on the Crusade and return to Fanelia." Allen didn't allow Van any time to dispute. He quickly gestured the soldiers to go forth and he followed them in all valor.  
  
"Don't fight, Van," Hitomi pulled his arm despite knowing that he was resolved to.  
  
His eyes appeared lifeless. "I don't want to go back to that again, you know I don't. But I have no choice, Hitomi. Did I ever have a choice? I must do what I've decided to do, and that's to end this. What's happened now makes my decision firmer. Go to the Crusade and it'll take you to a safer place. I must follow Balgus's advice again - use my bloodstained hands to break free from the sorrows of war." Then he leapt up into Escaflowne.  
  
She called after him but she knew she had to let him go. The test was for him as it was for her. She did not go to the Crusade but stepped into the castle and began to pray to Freya.  
  
The pendant around Van's neck began glowing, but he did not even notice. All he concentrated on were Fanelia, Gaea, Orion and Hitomi. Fire consumed him. Escaflowne came alive and stepped out. The enemy had come. With a battle cry, Van struck out his sword.  
  
He immediately destroyed one Basram guymelef that was in front of him. Escaflowne's pain is my pain. One charged at him from the right but he blocked it. The pain of war. In one slash, he killed three. His swordsman skills had escalated over the years and he became almost invincible. If this war won't end, He turned back and destroyed the unit that was closer to the castle. I'll be the one to shoulder the burden. Then he ran to where Allen and the others were fighting and sped up their rate of victory. I'll shoulder the karma of war. He killed the most formidable enemy, the leader of the Basram troops, who was breaking Freid's defensive front. Along with the sorrow of the dead!  
  
"Van!" Allen's sword blocked him. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Helping you guys protect Freid!"  
  
"You're supposed to stay with Hitomi! Go back to Fanelia! Orion needs you. We're holding off the enemy well. This battle will be over in no time. I'll catch up with you later. Go! Now!"  
  
Van slowly put down his sword and said cynically. "Just think, Allen, this world is not even hell." He yielded to Allen's authority and headed back to the castle, walking carelessly over the raging battle fire.  
  
When Hitomi saw Van return, she neither smiled nor cried. Escaflowne transformed into a dragon. She simply understood that she had to jump in. The dragon wings fanned the hot air and soared into the sky.  
  
Van felt his eyes begin to droop and his grip on the handles loosened. He wanted to give in, to fail miserably for once, and be left to perish. Looking straight ahead, the whole land looked saturnine, ashes dying after a raging flame. He could not see Fanelia.  
  
Why is a simple word like "peace" so complex a concept, so painful a process?  
  
~ End of Part VII ~  
  
  
  
Author's Note: Wheeee! The finale is coming soon! I feel kind of lost in the plot - maybe there's just too much stuff. There are probably inconsistencies I didn't even notice. If I'm confused, some of you are bound to be also. If you have any questions, just e-mail me. I've been trying to write more, so sorry if the writing quality has deteriorated somewhat. I hope it'll be better in the next chapter.  
  
Some points of interest: The chapter's title, "This Pendant World", is taken from Milton's "Paradise Lost", and it refers to the Ptolemaic vision of the Universe - the world (in our case, Gaea) is hung from a golden chain attached to Heaven. There was a passing reference to a child Allen and Millerna had but lost. Basically, Millerna had a miscarriage and she can never have a baby again. They will explain all this to Hitomi in chapter nine. But don't worry, they will get another child - that's a mystery for now. 


	8. Insert: Title Epigraph

Hee hee, this is not really an update, but a sneaky way to get the story back on the top of the listing - at least, I hope this works! Nehooo, the title of the story, "Both are Infinite" is from the following lines. It's one of my favorite quotes (great for love letters 'n stuff). As you can tell, it fits the whole romantic scene - except, of course, our Van and Hitomi won't have as sad a fate as Romeo and Juliet ;) Well, thank you all for your continuing support. The next chapter should be up soon, so I hope you'll stay tuned!  
  
  
  
My heart is as boundless as the sea  
  
My love as deep: the more I give to thee The more I have, for both are infinite. Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet 


	9. World in the Wind

Hi again after so long, esca lovers! Sorry about the huge hibernation period, cuz I've just been too busy. If you happen to have forgotten what happened in the previous chapter, feel free to ask me. Nehow, we're getting closer to the climax. Ok, important news (well, kinda): this chapter and the two after it were originally meant to be one whole chapter with about 40 pages. For the comfort of your eyes, I've divided it into three separate chapters, with 'World in the Wind' being the first section, 'Pandemonium' the second and 'The Atlantis Within' (which is the name of the original huge chapter) as the climax section. Each of the sub-section are about 15 pages long (the last one is slightly longer). Of course, this means I can update more often, hehe =) I hope that the division won't screw up the content or continuity, so let me know if there are problems.  
  
  
  
  
  
VIII. World in the Wind  
  
  
  
  
  
Mine is a world forgone though not yet ended, -  
  
An imagined garden grey with sundered boughs And broken branches, wistful and unmended, And mist that is more constant than all vows. Hart Crane, "Postscript"  
  
Escaflowne, Escaflowne, Escaflowne.the spirits of the spring zephyr flowed round the dragon and carried away its noble name on their iridescent wings. The wind spirits and sylphs exist in every space of the universe, and they brush pass every blade of grass, every animal. Now, they swept the Gaean earth and they instantly felt the desolation of a darkening world. Their feathers flew pass the young man and woman seated on the great dragon. By flowing through their hair, the aeolian spirits understood the sorrow in the hearts of the two humans. The young man, in his wind-swept red shirt, was crying, but he himself could not hear it. His lovely companion was weeping also, but there were no tears, no sounds. Only the spirits heard. They carried the lovers' laments along with the name of the white dragon, and they scattered the sound all over Gaea.  
  
The sympathetic Nature heard, but tried in vain to solace the two young souls. Soon, every spirit, whether sylvan, aeolian, oceanic or empyrean, heard the sound and they filled all over Gaea with echoes of what the lovers thought: I'm sorry, Hitomi. I'm sorry, Balgus. I'm sorry, brother. I've become a killer once again. I don't want war. Please don't make me fight. Peace? Where is it? Some of the wind began to howl. I worry about you so much, Van. I don't want to leave you ever again. I'll stay even if it means seeing you like this. Yes.I guess, yes.Love must be all accepting, all forgiving. You have the strength within. I know you do. The dragons of Fanelia heard also, and they roared.  
  
As soon as Escaflowne landed, they ceased to feel the wind upon their bodies. Before Van leapt off, Hitomi caressed him gently on the back. He turned around and gave her a kiss then ran to the castle. All the citizens and lords looked sombre as if awaiting funeral bells. Palladium was not as noisy as when he left it. There was a greater amount of standing around and staring aimlessly. It was stagnancy, tense and ominous. This made Van somewhat angry. He turned and yelled at the crowd, "Stop this! He's not dead yet! I'm not dead yet!" Then he hurried inside.  
  
His statement seemed to have shaken many people from their languish and even disillusioned them a bit. Hitomi followed Van's steps slowly. Everyone made way for her and focused on her. She looked around timidly and saw many pairs of exhausted eyes imploring for help and Love. The people. Hitomi understood how much they mean to Van - they are the blood of Fanelia. Then she suddenly felt that they are her responsibility also, from now on. She saw in their loss and sadness a melancholy reflection of her own; the whole of Fanelia became like a placid lake, mirroring the Mystic Moon. The affinity was established forever. Hitomi smiled at everyone.  
  
An old man staggered out of the crowd. She went forth to support him but he stubbornly rejected her arms and knelt down on one knee. "Let me, let me, speak," he addressed her in a husky, ancient voice. "And please let me remain kneeling. Little girl, I have been with Fanelia all.my life. When King Van's father, King Goau was but a baby, I was already a budding young lad. I have seen Fanelia.through her glories and tragedies. Now.the present time is most extraordinary.it's both glorious and tragic, no?" he held Hitomi's hands, "King Van is strong, but he still needs you. We need you." She helped him up and kissed his forehead. As she walked towards the castle, she could see, from the corner of her tearful eyes, people bowing to her.  
  
The reverence and dignity was warm yet pressing. She soon cast off the gratitude and content when she approached the sick-room. Many lords and soldiers were outside in the hall, waiting, waiting. Nestor stood at the door, more panicked and distressed than ever. Hitomi walked inside and beheld a heartbreaking scene. Selena and Merle were kneeling on either side of the bed sobbing convulsively. Van was next to Merle; he held Orion's hand in his and from the back, it looked as if he was in a praying position.  
  
Millerna, who was in her healer's outfit stained with blood, came up and whispered to Hitomi: "Last night, he took a few stabs in the back. If he hadn't been able to fight back, he would have died. When Merle found him, he had already lost a fair amount of blood. I've managed to stop it, but he still needs to survive the coma."  
  
Hitomi gasped in anxiety. "My goodness.I.I don't know what.why do bad things keep happening? You must've heard about Freid," Millerna lowered her head and nodded. "But don't worry, Allen's fine. He should be back today. Maybe he just wants some more time with Chid, seeing as how they've just re-." Hitomi paused awkwardly. She realized that Millerna may not be comfortable with the situation regarding Allen claiming the son he had with Marlene.  
  
"Oh." Millerna said feebly then walked away. Hitomi was surprised to detect a feeling of haughtiness in her, and not sadness. She injected a shot then left the room. The rest of them remained with Orion. Hitomi tenderly touched Van's shoulders and tried to ease his tension, but he remained catatonic for a long time. Eventually, around noon, Nestor came to call Van away. Hitomi took Merle out for some food. But Selena never left.  
  
From the minute he stepped out of the room, all Van could say in his mind was the word, "Live!" He stormed through all his duties with the same alacrity he displayed two days ago. There was also a stoicism in his gaze and gestures - a death-defying determination. For the rest of the day, he laboured away at the work site, and discussed the diamond trade with Dryden. Come evening, he locked himself in the conference room with Allen and Nestor. There scarcely seemed time to breathe or space to move. Everything was packed together like atoms. The momentary illusion of relaxation was filled with echoes of "Live!"  
  
Hitomi had begun her share of tasks in the Fanelian community. In the afternoon, she helped Merle in the food shelter. At meal time, she was responsible for one of the carts that distributed dinner boxes to the soldiers and lords who could not spare time to come to the dining hall. When she knocked on the conference room door, Nestor came out to get the boxes. She caught a glimpse of Van, pacing near the front of the room, pensive and angry, speaking rapidly about the attack of Freid. She went away silently and realized sadly that this was what being a king in a time of crisis is all about.  
  
For the remainder of the night, Hitomi began reading Van's book "Ways of Warriors, Codes of Kings", while awaiting her turn to look after Orion. Her and Merle decided to take short shifts so Selena could have a break, however reluctantly. A little after the clock chimed midnight, Hitomi proceeded down to the sickroom.  
  
In the empty and still hallway, she heard a faint echo, vibrating like a soft wind against the wooden beams. It was somewhat spirit-like. As she went closer, she noticed the sound was coming from the room. It was a lofty aria, dulcet yet elegiac in its grand beauty.  
  
Hitomi noiselessly opened a crack in the door and saw Selena kneeling by Orion's bed, singing. The moonlight streaming through the window deified the scene, making it unsurpassably holy. Hitomi could not understand the lyrics since the language was not one she had heard. But this image of moonlit love enshrouded in the sonata sung by a voice of violins, was a vision worth a lifetime of pain. She closed the door and her own eyes, and knelt down in the hall, drenched in midnight music. The chorus went something like, "Sei tu corai ansias." Life's unquiet dream was pacified.  
  
Then she felt a soft kiss on her cheek. She opened her eyes and saw Van sitting next to her. He whispered in an exhausted voice, "The language she's singing in is called Poetics. It's very rare and understood only by people of letters and poetry. Supposedly it's derived from Atlantean. Both Selena and Orion knows it."  
  
"She has the most beautiful voice, like a fairy's. What's the song saying?"  
  
"Oh.I'm afraid my Poetics is a little shaky, but I'll try." He closed his eyes. "I believe this song is called 'Arcadia'. Let's see, the chorus is Sei tu corai ansias, that means 'you are my heart, deathlessly.' Um.something, something, 'the wings of eternity.turning round the moon.' Um.wingdalei souce da pouron, that means.let me see, 'I fly by the love that moves the centre and all the stars.' I can't pick out anymore, sorry."  
  
"No, it's okay," she laid her head on his shoulder. "Thank you, that was beautiful. 'Arcadia'.You know, Selena told me that she used to like you."  
  
"Oh?" Van's trademark blush rushed to the surface.  
  
"But she loves Orion now, though she's till somewhat scared."  
  
"What?" Van looked surprised for a moment but eased down. "Well, from her recent behavior, I thought as much. I'm glad. Orion will be so happy."  
  
"But Merle will be upset, right?"  
  
"So you can tell? Yeah. But I do think her feeling for Orion is mere infatuation and it will pass. She's concentrating on Vianne anyhow."  
  
"Everyone is." she paused, "trying to find a home, I guess. I suppose it's alright to tell you this now, but did you ever discover that Prince Chid is Allen's son?"  
  
"Huh?" compared to the various occurrences of the past week this hardly constituted a shock. "He's never told me anything. Well, I have thought that they do look a lot alike. And last time when they came to Fanelia during the reconstruction, I noticed that Millerna acted weird around Chid. I suppose she knows too?"  
  
"She's known for five years. When I did a reading for her before, it did say that Allen is the right man for her. But I feel that there's this tension between them. It's hard to say. I'm just worried about them."  
  
"Well, I guess you don't know, but a few years back, right after Millerna became queen, she had a miscarriage and she can never have a child again."  
  
"What? Really?" Hitomi glanced down the long hallway. "Poor Millerna. So that's why Allen wanted to reunite with Chid."  
  
"It's a part of his struggle, fuelled by his past history with.all the girls."  
  
She nudged Van slightly. "You're not still jealous about that, are you?"  
  
"No, no," he smirked. "But it is weird to think about it. Anyhow, it's Allen's war to fight, just as we all must fight our own wars," he held his breath for a second. "But you really should tell Allen that Selena told you she'd be happy with Orion. That way he'll get off my back. She will be happy with him.when he wakes up."  
  
"Don't worry. He can hear her song and he'll live." They sat under the flickering torches, illuminating the wooden hall. The aria still rose, higher and higher, unto heaven. ....  
  
Hitomi was astonished to realize that it has only been a week since she left Earth. One week encompassed so much it seemed a lifetime. The following week in Fanelia was slower in comparison but it was populated with a myriad of activities. Everyday, she engaged in helping out and she felt she had already become an integral part of the country.  
  
In the middle of the week, she accompanied Van on an inspection tour of Palladium. The city was more organized. The tents functioned as houses and the chaotic atmosphere was ordered into a familiar home. As they passed the citizens, everyone bowed to her as if she were the queen. A certain exhilaration was inspired by the idea but Hitomi quickly restrained herself, thinking He hasn't even proposed yet.  
  
Other than that day, Hitomi seldom saw Van for the rest of the week. Operation High Sky progressed steadily. Natural caves were discovered so the drilling process was cut short. Van was busy planning the evacuation as well as managing the army in Orion's stead. Allen dealt with diplomatic matters and sent amply provisions to Freid. For the most part, there was an inert standstill, a no man's land in a stalemate. Van believed that this was because Branimir was still devising the next evil.  
  
As the week wore on, Van received less and less sleep. He usually kept vigilance by Orion's bedside. At times, he'd return to his own room and rest next to Hitomi, holding her until she falls asleep. Then he'd slip out of bed and go to the desk to bury himself with paperwork until dawn.  
  
On the last night of the week, Van retired to his room earlier and found Hitomi studying at his desk. "You should be asleep, Hitomi. It's late."  
  
"You should talk! You're the one who needs sleep. Tell me honestly, how many hours of rest did you get this week?"  
  
"That's not important," he went into the bedchamber and got changed.  
  
She frowned at him then began to read, "Listen to this, Van: The philosophic king is the only man fit to rule. He is one who bridges the gap between ideal and reality, a man of both thought and action, who unites political power with the love of wisdom,'" Van pulled up an armchair and sat across from her. " 'This union is made possible by the indispensable existence of heroic courage and of goodness in his heart. The." Van snatched the book from her. "What is it, Van?"  
  
"Forget all the philosophy," he rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. "Let me ask you, does good leadership necessitate or.or justify ruthlessness?"  
  
Hitomi looked at his grief-stricken face. "I really don't know much about politics, Van. But to tell the truth, I believe there are times when a ruler must exercise.authority in order to run a country smoothly. There are too many intrigues in kingship for that to be avoided. But tell me what happened." She reached across and held his hands.  
  
Van heaved a long sigh. "Well, you said it, it's intrigue. Basically, on top of everything that's happened, I've got to deal with a small faction started by Lord Kailan and his son Arwon. It's just a little shocking, seeing as how Kailan has been with Fanelia for so long."  
  
"Why are they against you?"  
  
"Apparently," Van locked his brows, "they think I've handled the current situation badly. They think I've brought trouble to Fanelia. They also don't like.you, being from the Mystic Moon and all. Since I'm inefficient as a king, there's talk of making Fanelia a republic with an elected president. Allen is seriously concerned. He believes there will be danger. Kailan might collaborate with the enemy and send out intelligence regarding our plans. There's no evidence of that so far, we're just speculating. Of course, if there is proof, treason is," he looked up at her, "a crime punishable by death. I don't want to have to." he shrank into the chair and drew his knees up to his chest.  
  
Hitomi went over and held him. Thus they sat in silence, gazing at the darkness that dragged its own impenetrable mass closer and closer towards Gaea.  
  
Eventually, the morning air stung Van's senses and he jumped up to go to Orion. Days and nights of vigilance, of celestial song, of tearful Love, finally called back Orion's clinging life. Just as Van sat down next to the bed, Orion's frail fingers touched his hand slightly. Van winced but it was an ache produced by boundless relief and gratitude.  
  
"I've won," Orion said feebly. "Yes, I've won the battle with death. Don't you.cry on me now, old boy. I gotta tell you, it's.a most unexciting fight. It takes place absolutely nowhere, with no one there to cheer me on. A complete darkness, with an invisible enemy, kind of like how we used to duel, remember?" Van gripped his hand. "Not too tight there. Oh.I didn't believe in my own strength, but then I also didn't believe in death's strength," he coughed. "Well, I won anyways. Now I must wrestle with life."  
  
An aureate sun rose over Fanelia; the mists fled temporarily. Hitomi entered and together with Van, they thanked the gods. Everyone received the good news. Selena cried almost as much tears as when she grieved. Life unfurled its wings splendidly and the awakening of the near-death patient lent hope to the living. However, Death flew after Life with swift dragon-like speed.  
  
Within a day, Orion was able to walk around on crutches and Selena helped him in the process of regaining strength. After a few days, Orion resumed his duties. He proposed a new military plan: the troops will hide in the forest above Fanelian Valley, so when the enemy enters, they can trap them using the position of advantage.  
  
Operation High Sky has progressed as far as the completion of the caves. Van ordered the commencement of the evacuation. Food, water, medical supplies, ammunition, wood were all being stored in boxes and allocated to the caves. Nestor organized the placement of the citizens.  
  
While the men were occupied with such business, the women worked closer with the citizens. Hitomi's days were filled with various tasks, so that she scarcely had any personal time. Yet in the airy space between one job and the next, she noticed the moods of others. Selena acquired a countenance of sober contentment, perhaps because of Orion. Merle seemed able to overlook her own loss and helped realize the happiness of others. Millerna, on the other hand, was settled in a shroud. She withdrew from most of her royal duties, and behaved rather coldly to Allen, Selena and to Hitomi herself. Princess Eries was the only one she remained close to. Van became skeleton thin and his eyes were sunken in fatigue. His change wasn't so much a resignation as a tumultuous clinging on, but some people misinterpreted it as a lack of resolve.  
  
The spring zephyr blew on all this time, gathering and dissipating clouds, until one day an eruption ceased all wind. The trees stood noiselessly, as if bereft of life. People suspended personal battles, for the true war had begun: Orion's trusted Commander Strom intercepted a message written by Lord Kailan to President Basante in which Kailan revealed all the allies' strategic plans, and pointed out gaps in the defensive front where he advised Basante to strike. King Van was once again set in the crucible of indecision. Amid the clamor of conflicting advices and ever-pressing danger, Van ordered the arrest of Lord Kailan, his son Arwon and the seven lords who were in league with them. Despite everyone's support of execution, Van put forth lifelong imprisonment. Later that day, he took a firmer hold of his power and steered the helm of fate: he officially declared war on Basram. The stalemate had to be ended; offence was chosen over mere defence. Allied forces were to set out early next morning.  
  
The night before the battle, when all else slept in dreadful expectation, Van stole away to the caves beyond the castle. He passed the guards and entered a tunnel of solitary blackness. It led to an underground domed chamber of bedrock and polished walls lined with boxes of supplies. He stood with a torch in the middle of the circular space that rose all round into wild heights and undreamt of corners. There was loneliness but it felt mythic, half-present, half-past, real and unreal, capable of overthrowing the most tyrannical force.  
  
He closed his eyes and listened to the dripping of underground water. "Dong.dong." It sounded like a bell, announcing something that was not exactly holy. The echo of the dripping filled the caves and he felt a certain tremor. In the wet circular space, there was no sound but this dripping and it chanced to murmur to him, "There is no permanence." All prayer, all poetry, all emotion that could be spoken there would come out as nothing but "dong.dong," echoed monotonously in the dark. The value of all good words was evanescent - he may die tomorrow and their love will end, divided by a boundary that could never be crossed. He thought the caves had killed eternity.  
  
But then, he quickly withdrew the thought. The dripping itself ironically seemed a permanence. Water can be shaped. The constant dripping of water can hollow out a stone. That was the proverb Van remembered when he decided to spare to Kailan's life. He understood the strength of the seemingly soft and inconstant water and he wanted to become it. However, when he declared war, he was the stone. At once rock and water, Van resigned to the impossibility of being both a good king and a happy man.  
  
He approached the cave walls that glistened with residues of diamond. The walls were polished and provided a remarkable reflection of his torch. As he walked closer, the two flames, one breathing air, one stone, seemed to unite and kiss. In between them were the white sparks of the wall, reminding him of the aeons-long life of diamonds. That is eternal enough.  
  
Then the echo murmured to him about Atlantis that had not receded from his mind. He though of his past as Vannius, with Angelus as his father, Lacour as the best friend who died to save him, and Orionis as the little brother who fulfilled his ideals. Then there was the birth of Escaflowne, and the birth of Love. But another few echoes brought the name of Branimir. Who was he? Could it be that they fought over the Love of one woman? But where was Hitomi in all that?  
  
"Van.Van.Van." He gasped as he thought that the caves actually called out to him. But he turned around and saw Hitomi standing at the mouth of the tunnel. She walked over into his arms.  
  
"Hey, how did you know I was here?" he whispered, fearful that his words will echo, and be included in the obscurity.  
  
"I just knew," she wrapped her blanket around them both. "I know you're worrying about the decisions you made today."  
  
"Well." he pulled some logs from the boxes and started a fire. "Come sit by the fire, or you'll catch a cold." They snuggled up together. "I had to decide. It's expected of me. I couldn't evade any longer. But it'll all be okay. I have Escaflowne."  
  
"I believe you made the necessary decisions, so don't fret about it. Van.I want to come with you tomorrow."  
  
He looked at her eyes, reflecting the warm fire and immaculate in their luminosity. "Hitomi." he said with some exasperation.  
  
"I want to be there for you physically, as well as mentally. We defeated Dornkirk together, remember? I can't let you face this alone. We'll take the chance together and I know we will triumph. Atlantis will be sealed up along with all the sorrow and battles. Besides, I will be of help. I have a feeling Branimir has some sad reason for doing all this. Maybe we can try to communicate with him."  
  
Van opened his mouth to respond but all he heard was "dong.dong," so he simply held her. Later on, he said quietly, "I think I'm going to name these the Nerya caves."  
  
"Nerya? After Folken's."  
  
"That's right. There's a legend attached to that name. It carried from Dornkirk's Zaibach, a certain darkness, a potential evil even, but it's also beautiful and echoes with lost Love. It suits the caves."  
  
"You're right, it does. It's almost mythic. Folken would like this very much."  
  
"He would." Then they just sat, in understanding of each other's existence and ever-presence, illumined amid the darkness. The weight of Hitomi's body against his own reminded him of "the gravity of love" and he wanted to experience the full force of that gravity. But suddenly, all thoughts stopped.  
  
Van gestured for Hitomi to sit still and he stood up in alarm. His widened eyes inspected the deep caves. "Listen."  
  
"What is it, Van? I don't hear anything."  
  
"Exactly! The dripping.it's stopped. Hello!" he shouted at the circular dome. Flat silence - no "dong.dong." returned to him. "There's no more echo," he no longer spoke in a whisper. "That's impossible. The echo has always been there. It has to be!"  
  
"Van, take a look at the bonfire!"  
  
"What the.?" The flame isn't flickering. That's not.fire needs continual movement to subsist. It's as if it just stopped consuming air all of a sudden."  
  
"It's as if time as been frozen." Van's eyes met her terrified gaze and he nodded. But suddenly, he could no longer see her. A mysterious force had extinguished the fire. It simply vanished in one whole. There was no wind, no sound, only an impenetrable darkness that infused and deadened the caves.  
  
"Van?" she reached out her hand nervously.  
  
"I'm here, I'm here," he wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry, we'll find a way out. Come on," holding her hand, he tried to grope his way around the boxes. But everywhere they ended up, a towering, imprisoning wall blocked their exit.  
  
The mythic echo had died into a placid silence and the emptiness became almost evil. It hovered over them like an implacable omnipotence and deepened the blackness. Van stopped to take a breath. "That's weird.I was sure the tunnel was this way. But it seems there's a wall in the way."  
  
"Maybe we're trapped," she held him tighter.  
  
"No." he held his breath. A faint sound came from the far end, from another cave chamber deeper within the cliff. "Shh." they sharpened their ears. It sounded like a devilish droning, drifting out of some sharp- teethed, bloodied hell mouth. As it grew louder, they held each other closer and stood still. It approached and they noticed it had a certain rhythm, then a melody even with incoherent lyrics. At last it entered the cave they were in. It was a chant, spectral and chilling, not in the least bit beautiful. There was no echo yet the sound was booming as if it was everywhere. "That voice." In horror, Van recognized the singing. "It's Seraphine!" he yelled into the darkness.  
  
"Seraphine? What's she doing here?"  
  
"She must be in league with Branimir! I knew it." The sound persisted in all hatred. He shouted again, angry at his own helplessness in the dark. Then the caves felt like they were trembling, as if something large was about to descend. From the arched ceiling of the caves, the pillar of light came down. But it was not swift and aggressive as before. Instead, it throbbed in sync with the rhythm of Seraphine's chant. Slowly and somewhat gracefully, the cold blue column touched the ground. Despite its vacant droning, the light found its way to Van and Hitomi before they could reach the tunnel. Its former energy was still there and along with the draining sound, it stole them into the sky above.  
  
The phantasmagoric chant also withdrew. The dripping echo returned, beating tediously in the circular shadows, ticking like the arms of time. The fire, however, never re-ignited.  
  
~ End of Part VIII ~  
  
Wheeee! Another cliff-hanger for ya! Aren't they just so much fun! There are worse ones coming up *sneaky grin! I hope that the plot is not getting too weird or anything. I should be updating again soon, provided that I get a satisfactory amount of nice reviews *wink, wink, nudge nudge. so please stay with me through this flight! Thanks for your support.  
  
Notes and Points of Interest: The passage that Hitomi read out of Van's book is a paraphrase of a section in Plato's "Republic". The proverb, "Constant dripping hollows out a stone" is by the Roman writer Lucretius. Selena's aria called "Arcadia" is supposed to be the same tune as the song "Arcadia" that you can find on your Escaflowne CD - it is one of my fav. Songs. 


	10. Pandemonium

Hello again! It's been a long while this time ;) As I've said last time, this chapter was meant to be one whole thing with the last chapter, so everything should connect well. Great news for me: my esca collection is complete! Got the movie and series DVD! Who cares about the money! Wheeeee! Well, that's just a note of weird happiness before you read something tragic! Honestly, if someone does cry somewhere along the story, I would be very touched and thankful. I know, that sounds kinda selfish. Neways, enjoy!  
  
IX. Pandemonium  
  
Stone walls do not a prison make,  
  
Nor iron bars a cage; Minds innocent and quiet take, That for a hermitage; If I have freedom in my love, And in my soul am free, Angels alone that soar above Enjoy such liberty. Richard Lovelace, "To Althea from Prison"  
  
Intense light and mesmerizing sound combined to bring Hitomi an insurmountable dizziness. She fainted halfway in the pillar of light. When her eyes opened sorely, she was already lying on the cold ground, and her body ached with numerous cuts. She regained consciousness and saw Van standing in front of her, fighting with some monstrously tall soldiers. Suddenly, a splash of blood fell onto her, as Van angrily decapitated the last of the soldiers who had them cornered. She let out a scream.  
  
"Hitomi! Are you okay?" he wiped the blood off her. "They're Fireans, that's why they look weird. Come on," he held her up. "It seems we've been transported to Basram. Let's go," he led her through the dusty, brown tunnels that they were trapped in. After some frantic meandering, they finally ran out into the open, under the murky Basram night sky. Van stepped forward first to make sure it was safe. But as soon as Hitomi came out to join him, the Fireans appeared from nowhere and surrounded them with vengeful hostility.  
  
"Surrender, Vannius!" one of them addressed Van, and for the first time, he understood the Atlantean that was spoken to him.  
  
"Are you.Branimir?" Van asked with hesitation, surprised at his own ability to speak the ancient language.  
  
"No. But you will soon die and meet Lord Branimir in the other world." The leader then signalled for the soldiers to close in on them.  
  
A vision dawned on Hitomi: they had experienced this before. Her and Van in Atlantis, encircled by belligerent Fireans. Before she could explore her vision any further, she realized she was in Van's arms and flying into the air.  
  
A tornado of panic and confusion followed. The command of "shoot his wings" could be heard. A troop of black arrows was loosened and they chased after Van, piercing his white wings. With a jolt of struggle, Van failed to defy the pull of gravity and he crashed the ground, with Hitomi tight in his arms.  
  
As soon as they hit the earth, they were separated by force. Van reached for his sword in order to protect Hitomi. But the sword was taken from him and he felt his own blade enter his right shoulder, disabling his arm. A drug was injected into them both and the last thing Hitomi was conscious of was Van's scream of pain. The pendant was broken from his neck. White feathers, scrawled radiantly across the night ground, became tainted with red blood.  
  
The next time Hitomi's eyes received light, the night had already retreated, and the garish day invaded her senses. Her shirt was still had the brackish smell of the soldier's blood spilled on her earlier. She gazed around vaguely and noticed she was fenced in by short wooden boards. Then she realized it was not a fence but a defendant's box standing in the middle of what resembled a courtroom. All around her were lords and ladies who sat in the audience zone and pointed suspiciously at her. She abandoned their gaze and turned to Van who lay in one corner of the box. His red shirt was almost black with blood.  
  
"Van, please wake up." When he did not respond, she buried her face in his chest and began crying.  
  
A hand weakly touched her head. "Hey.it's okay."  
  
"Van! I was so scared. What have they done to you?"  
  
He groaned and groped his callously dressed wound, still oozing out blood. "Ah! I can't move my right arm."  
  
Hitomi gently helped him up to the chair at the centre of the box. Van jumped in surprise as he saw their environment. "Be careful, Van! Sit down. It looks like they're putting us on trial."  
  
"On trial? What crime have we committed? Damn them! They have no right! I'm gonna." before Van could finish, trumpets flourished and in strode the corpulent and despicable President. Van staggered up despite the wound and grunted in fury.  
  
Basante ascended the judge's throne. His pasty and wrinkled face with his squinted snake-like eyes acquired an air of vain authority and patronizing superiority. "Well, well, look what my guards caught. If it isn't Van Fanel and his little witch!"  
  
Van pounded his fist on the railing of the box but fell back a little in pain. "How dare you, Basante? What is the meaning of all this? Don't you dare call Hitomi a witch! If you insult her again, I'll."  
  
"You'll what, Fanel? Hmm? You're injured and imprisoned. If you don't prefer the term witch, then perhaps whore then. Everyone knows you've merely picked up Allen Schezar's leftover trash!" Hitomi's eyes burned indignantly. Van's rage drove him to climb out of the box, but the guards quickly threw him back in. She tried to pacify him by embracing him.  
  
Basante burst into hideous laughter. "Look at the two of yous! Don't even think about it, Fanel! You're nothing without your sword and your Escaflowne! And don't expect any help from your friends! That Schezar and his pathetic allied troops was defeated by us this morning," the crowd cheered. "They can save themselves before saving you!"  
  
Van was infuriated beyond control. "Basante, go to hell! It'll take more than an injury and a lack of weapon to stop me! You're strong only because of the Fireans! Where's Branimir! He's the one who's behind all this. Send him out! Is he not brave enough to face me?"  
  
"Don't be dramatatistic!" Basante picked his teeth with his little fat finger. "You're speaking madness, boy! What Fireans? Who is Branimir?" Laughter roared from the audience. "How miraclous it is that you can be a leader! This brings me to the main point," he gestured for someone to bring him a scroll.  
  
Basante opened the message nonchalantly, as if suave and in control. "Van Fanel, in the name of the Republic of Basram, this Supreme Court of Justice accuses you of being an anti-republic tyrant. Your despotic action of overtaking the Alliance committee," Van's eyes gaped in disbelief, "has proved harmful to the people of Gaea. Furthermore, being a draconian, you are a destroyer of Atlantis, and is thus dangerous to the world. This court finds you guilty of the above charges and sentences you to death." Basante clumsily pounded the gavel and an uproar of applause swept through the room.  
  
"But this is." Van nearly laughed. "This is preposterous. This must be a joke. Me a tyrant? And what makes you think all draconians are dangerous?"  
  
"You are an inferior breed, so naturally, you're savage," he peered at the scroll once again. "Van Fanel, this court hereby strips you of your title of king and Fanelia will from hereon be a property of Basram."  
  
As Van was building up momentum for an effusion of wrath, Hitomi cut in and spoke in a powerful voice. "No, you're wrong! The people of Fanelia love Van. He has rebuilt their home and brought them a happiness they could not have known without him. If it weren't for Van, Gaea would have been destroyed five years ago. His draconian wings saved Basram from destruction, how could you forget that?" she turned to the audience. "the feud between Branimir and Van is personal, you needn't be involved. Killing us would precipitate a war, not prosperity, not peace. Think of your family, your children. Do you want them to see the horror of war?"  
  
"Shut up!" Basante barked, his face red and swollen. "Shut up! It looks like the little witch from the Mystic Moon speaks even more madness. Well, little whore, you're probably already carrying a cursed draconian seed in your belly anyway."  
  
"What! Damn you, Basante!" Van roared. "I've never." at Basante's signal, guards came up and muffled Van with a cloth.  
  
"What a noisy little boy. No wonder the people don't want to be led by him. As I was saying," he paused for a moment to think. "Ah, yes, you and your bastard child! As a protector of Gaea, I need to make sure no more draconians survive. You love the pathetic draconian dog? Fine! Then you can die with him!" the gavel banged again and Basante rose. "Throw them in the same dungeon. Consider it a gift, Fanel, former king of Fanelia." He stumbled out with an ugly laugh and the people continued the malice and ridicule.  
  
Hitomi stood firm amidst the pandemonium. There was no self-pity, fright nor anger. Only disappointment. She passively watched Van kicking and resisting the guards, tearing his throat with muffled screams. God? Freya? Mom? Aleph? Folken? She wanted to whimper like a child but instead there was only a silent submission to tyranny. She let herself be carried off to the dungeon.  
  
By the time they descended the steps into the prison, the sun was not to be seen again. Van fell into reluctant quietness but his eyes still blazed with exhausted rage. The corridor was long and cold, consisting of only a few large prison cells. Theirs was at the end of the hall.  
  
The prison cell had two chambers, the first one faced the hall and the iron bars. The inner chamber was narrow, with a small door, concrete walls and a minuscule window at the very top. A faint amount of hot light snuck into the gloomy dungeon.  
  
A chair sat in the corner of the front room and Hitomi helped Van to it. As soon as she removed the cloth from his mouth, he began cursing. "Damn it! Damn that Basante! I just cannot believe it! How dare he insult you like that. And to renounce my kingship? This must be a nightmare. I swear I'll." unexpectedly, Hitomi sealed his lips with a trembling kiss. "I'm sorry, Hitomi. You're right."  
  
"Let me look at this," she gently took off the cloth wrapped around his injured shoulder. "We've got to clean this wound of else it'll be infected." She looked around and found a small basin and poured the water to clean away the blood. Then she took off her jacket and used it to make a sling to support his arm. "There, that should hold for now." She knelt down beside him.  
  
"Thank you. I."  
  
"Don't say it Van. This is not a nightmare, unfortunately. Let's just leave it at that." They stared at each other in silence then noticed the objects that fell out of Hitomi's jacket when she took it off. She gathered up the Ra-Maat cards and the dragon-phoenix relic. "Van, do you remember the reading I did on Serenus? The Ramses card predicted we will encounter someone with uncompromising authority and injustice."  
  
"That must be either Branimir or Basante. And I did make a great decision just like the cards said. Our past has met the future. Things will be as they were written."  
  
"I should never have read the cards."  
  
"Don't blame yourself. Remember, you said the Death card brings a new beginning. Plus, we have the Love card, right?"  
  
She smiled slightly then helped him up. As they were about to go into the inner room, the guard, who had been sitting in a nook concealed from their sight, suddenly came up to the bars. "Psst." he said.  
  
"What do you want?" Van asked vexingly.  
  
The man was young and robust, with the imposing stature of an athlete. His face, however, lacked the austerity and toughness of a prison guard, and rather reminded Van of Orion. "Your Majesty, I am named Zeer, the only guard bored enough to take this prison job."  
  
"Haven't you heard, I'm not a king anymore," Van said cynically.  
  
"Oh, poo!" Zeer cackled without restraint. "Don't listen to that old fool, Basante. What he says never goes! As you may have noticed, he doesn't say many things correctly anyhow! The reason why the people obey him is because if we don't, he'll take away everything we own. Tax is brutal. The politicians support him because they're cowards and care only about their land. What they call democracy is really masked tyranny. If there's a tyrant in all of Gaea, it's that pig! For he certainly looks like a fat pig!" he laughed again. "I tell you, the whole election system is rigged. It's all bribes and conspiracy. They care nothing about us poor people. It's dictatorship with a fancy name."  
  
Van went up to the bars and smiled slightly. "You might want to keep your voice down, in case someone hears."  
  
"Nah, don't worry! No one else comes near here. The other guards like to go to the citadel gates and walls or go fight. This is too stale for them. That leaves me to help you," he suddenly went into the guard's nook and brought out some bread. "Here, you need strength to hang on," he stuck his hand through the bars. "Have faith. I'm sure King Allen will have you out in no time."  
  
Hitomi took the bread gratefully. Zeer winked at them cheerfully then left. She helped Van onto the single filthy mattress that lay in the narrow chamber. They ate a little then sat motionlessly. For once, they did not talk, did not pray. Let it come, let it come. They wanted to believe themselves capable of having the courage to face the greatest of all - death.  
  
Van's loss of blood has drained his energy. Soon, he was forced to lie down. An insipid drowsiness invaded him and the wound induced a fever. Hitomi hurried out to get some cold water. Before he descended into an inflamed sleep, his mind was able to rant about Basram, his former ally and Gaea's leading nation in science. What is a great country anyways? What can be great about a land of a traitor? Fanelia may well be a little house and him and his loved ones the only inhabitants, waiting out the day when Basram too may admit itself to be but a speck in the sky. It is a sin. It is a hubristic sin for any one nation or person to assume the figure of Fate. Dornkirk had been satanic, heroic in some ways, but unforgivably hellish. These people, like mischievous devils who know not they once had heaven, raise pandemonium, and pretend they are calling up magical wonders. He himself had once been conceited but the thought can no longer occur to him without inflicting self-contempt. To his enemies, he had once said, "I can kill you because I am me." But now, Basante, Branimir and even Kailan say to him, "We can kill you because we are All."  
  
He soon lost his way down the moribund river of such thought. The past came back to haunt him. The Destiny War appeared in an unrestful and noisy dream, remembered feverishly among the overburdening reality of the waking world. The war looked at him with a vengeful aspect. He relived the hate, the killing, the evil, the death. Then, as if standing in the middle of a battlefield, he received the soul-stifling revelation that if he dies, he may never in all the unimaginable universes, look on Hitomi's face again. The dream soared up in flames, the battlefield and dead soldiers burned all around him. He wandered through the inferno, without hope, seeking her but all he found was an unrecognizable shape that seized him with boundless fear, a terror he had never known. It became so hot, so very sultry and the fiery light flickered everywhere, fiendish and fighting with him over oxygen. With his last breath he screamed, "Hitomi!"  
  
"Van! Wake up! I'm here, it's alright," she held a cold towel to his burning forehead.  
  
"What the." he sat up and saw the little candle next to the mattress - that was the source of the raging flame he had dreamed. His hair was damp with sweat and the wound still throbbed. "Hitomi, you're here."  
  
"Of course I am. Where else would I be? Here," she gently wiped his face. "Zeer said your wound must have caused a fever, hence the nightmare. He gave me an ointment to apply to the cut, so you're safe now. You can sleep soundly for the rest of the night."  
  
At first, Van's eyes expressed a child's panic then it gradually hardened into an aged man's sorrow. "Hitomi, I.you know how during the Destiny War, death and killing did not matter to me at certain points. It wasn't that I.had nothing to lose. It was just that I was blinded and death became.death became,"  
  
"I know what you're trying to say. But do you really give up hope? Don't you think we can get out of this somehow?"  
  
"I.I don't know. I suppose there is a great possibility that Allen will come and rescue us, but I just felt like I should come to terms with all the possibilities. Death has always been as real as life for me, I mean, I'm constantly aware of both."  
  
"Don't let either become too real," she kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"It's not life I'm worried about losing, it's you," he looked through the small window at the top and saw no stars. "I wonder what the other world is like." ....  
  
Under a dome of pure blue empyrean, in a sea of white foam, there rose an emerald promontory. On it stood a golden tree draped with leaves of crystal. In the sky there roamed ten planets and their moons, the children of the Sun, trailing the heavens with their beaming splendor.  
  
Folken stood solitary beneath the golden bough. A small pool of water lay at his feet and he stared meditatively down its crystal depth. Many pools were scattered across the promontory but his mind was constant to this one that lay in the tree's shade. Because gravity is lower in this world, he was able to float up into the air, so he hung above the pool and observed what its window showed him: Van and Hitomi lying in prison.  
  
A soft wind blew from another nether world, and ceased after a minute. His green shirt gently undulated. The wind brought another being, who had long black hair and purple earrings in the shape of teardrops. She approached Folken with steps of feather and held her palm upright in the air. "Folken." her call echoed like a dream. His eyes left the pool rested on her. "Nerya." Smiling, he raised his right palm solemnly and pressed it against hers.  
  
"My love, with what sad eyes your soul wanders The world beneath, watching your dear brother."  
  
"No, with you here, all woes turn to wonders, And my ill heart soars free like a feather." He leaned down and touched the water; ripples unfurled. "But alas, Nerya, I fear the night Descends too darkly upon his white wings."  
  
She brushed over his cheek with the back of her hand. "Fret not, they shall live, for Love lends them light, Death and Life shall be as winters and springs."  
  
"I need not Aleph's word, for there is you," he played with her earrings. "The dark power shall be vanquished by Life, And the Love of all Love shall be in view."  
  
"Yes, their Love and Death rise to end all strife," she suddenly turned to gaze at the planets above. "The Gaean sun is born, I must be gone."  
  
Folken drew her into his arms. "I remain your Atlantis within, till next dawn." Beneath the reflecting orbs and translucent veil of heaven, they kissed. Another zephyr swept by; the golden leaves and diamond water wavered. When he opened his eyes again, she was gone. ....  
  
People talking, groaning, working.noises swelled to bury the deep echo of the caves. The "dong.dong" of the mystic bell had vanished. Outside, beneath an inconstantly shifting night sky, the land of Fanelia lay in darkness and death-like silence. Not one person, one torch, disturbed her dormant veins woven around the empty houses. But inside the bosoms of the cliff, bonfires danced and citizens of the two kingdoms huddled in various circles and slept against the walls of boxes. The underground chambers were illumined like circles of light. The sounds and fullness robbed the caves of their mystery, darkness and poetry, the only qualities that accommodated them to the name of Nerya.  
  
Down the main entrance tunnel, blocked by boulders, was the first chamber, also the largest. Many soldiers who were wounded in the morning's battle, lay with their families. People crowded close together around the fires and lamented as they cooked. They were fatigued by the merciless fate of their countries. With the sudden disappearance of King Van and Lady Hitomi, the defeat of the allied troops, they suspected peace will forever be displaced. Merle huddled with the children and engaged in incessant praying. In the stuffiness of the caves, everyone thought about their homeland that lay just outside the rocks. Fanelia and Asturia already became another world. Wistfulness descended on them.  
  
Escaflowne stood against the back wall of the chamber. Its shadow fell over the people and seemed like a message from another realm.  
  
Opposite the main tunnel, across the first chamber, there ran a smaller tunnel that extended along the length of the cliff. This tunnel led to the rest of the chambers, equally populated and hot. About half way down, there was a smaller sub-tunnel that branched off into a more private cave. In it rested most of the lords and commanders.  
  
In one corner, Allen sat with Millerna and Eries. The two women were roasting some food while Allen was using some stones on the ground to try and simulate battle positions. Exasperated, he picked up the stones and threw them into the blaze. He suddenly felt tired of Van and Hitomi.  
  
"You know," Millerna said without looking at him. "Perhaps you'll have better luck if you had someone who's like a good luck charm. If that someone is here, you'll try harder to defend this place, out of love. Perhaps.Duke Chid?"  
  
Allen knew her too well not to have noticed the cold sarcasm in her voice. He raised his head slowly and stared at her in vexation and disappointment. How could you not understand my grief, Millerna? Then he stood up and went to drink with Gaddes.  
  
Soon, the night deepened and the fires died out. The Nerya caves regained their blackness and mesmerizing echo. People's sleeping hearts beat in unison with "dong.dong". Even the guards were somewhat lulled. A figure, cloaked in black and armed, managed to steal out of the chambers and proceeded down the main tunnel. He had taken a horse with him and had blindfolded the creature so it would not be afraid. He found a small door next to the entrance boulder and snuck through. After making sure no one was around to block his way, he straightened his back and mounted the steed. As he proceeded past the castle and down the central route out of Fanelia, he heard a voice call him from behind, "Orion!"  
  
He stopped in shock and turned to see another rider, cloaked like himself. "Who goes there?" his hand reached for the hilt.  
  
The rider removed the hood of the cloak. Even in the murky darkness, Orion could still see the silver curls and night blue eyes. "Selena, what are you doing here?" he ride closer to her.  
  
"I'm coming with you, Orion."  
  
"Why? I'm only going for a ride in the forest."  
  
"Don't lie to me," she sighed. "Do you always go riding with a sword and bow? I know you're going to rescue Van and Hitomi."  
  
Orion exhaled in exasperation. "Fine! I am! I know he's in Basram, I just know it." He closed his eyes momentarily. Orion had always believed that one should act in the real world, believing not in an inevitable progression toward a perfect, mystic Absolute, but in an imperfect world where individual action matters, where true heroism is leaping forth and saving a friend. "Having an army march in there just won't do. My strategy failed everyone this morning. I put Allen and the others in danger. I should go alone. It's easier for one spy to get across the border. One! Understand? You're not coming with me, Selena!"  
  
She inched closer to him and held up her chin. "Your wounds have not fully recovered. You need a partner!"  
  
"No," he sighed. "No, Selena, I cannot risk your life. If something happened to you, your brother would skin me alive."  
  
"You forget, I have Dilandau's swordsmanship," she revealed the sword hanging from her belt. "I can probably beat you in a fight."  
  
"Oh, really?" he puckered up his face and began considering.  
  
"Let me come. They're my friends too. I can help in case you fall. Please?"  
  
"Oh, alright!" Orion rolled his eyes then turned his horse around. She followed intrepidly.  
  
The clouds parted momentarily and under the moonlight, they galloped out of Fanelia and approached the unguarded the forests bordering Basram. They paused before being in view of the citadel walls. Hidden in the thick undergrowth and foliage, they were free to speak.  
  
"Okay, Selena, you stay here. I shall attempt to take a uniform from a Basram soldier and masquerade as one of them in order to reach the prison. I'll come up with the rest of the plan as I go along. If I don't return by dawn, go back to Fanelia and tell your brother. Don't look back, do you understand? Don't come after me."  
  
She stared at him in protest then nodded. "Okay, I promise I'll stay here."  
  
"Atta girl!" he reached out his hand ready to touch her face but suddenly withdrew. "Um.I better get going. We're running out of time. I trust you'll be careful. See you soon," he pulled the rein.  
  
Just as he was almost out of reach, Selena pulled him back, "Orion."  
  
He looked down at her hand gripping his arm, and cleared his throat nervously. "Y-yes?"  
  
She moved her horse closer to his. "I want to give you something before you go," she reached into her pocket and took out the Twin Souls card. "Here. Hitomi gave it to me. She said it's a good luck charm. It symbolizes Love. I want you to have it."  
  
Orion hesitantly took the card and looked at it with watery eyes. "Um.do you really.never mind. Thanks, I'll." he quickly put the card into his shirt pocket. He dared not look at her, fearing a look would shatter his dreams into an illusion. She waited but he still looked down. He twisted the rein around his hand and contemplated the girl who was beside him. He thought about her past, present and future.  
  
He suddenly straightened up and looked ready to leave. But he swung around. His arms swept the night wind and ended around her waist. They kissed. It was impassioned, poetic. It was them.  
  
"I had to make sure," he whispered then started off.  
  
A radiance lit Selena's face and she called after him, "Sei tu corai ansias."  
  
Orion turned around and smiled. "Deathlessly." The trailing dust from his path soon obscured her view. He advanced toward life or death and her future went along with him. Everything was shrouded in dust that could be dispersed only by the rising of the sun. Love itself became mystified.  
  
~ End of Part IX ~  
  
AWWWW! Aren't you just so happy for Orion and Selena? Well, it's not so happy later on, hehe. Too bad about Folken and Nerya - in a later chapter, it's explained that these two are separated in the afterlife kind of as a punishment for the sinful mortal lives they've led. Well, someone has to be tragic, right? The climax is coming up, so stay tuned! Don't forget to leave a review!  
  
Point of Interest: Folken and Nerya speak in iambic pentameter, and their lines form a sonnet. The idea is taken from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" where the first meeting of the two lovers also had the palm-pressing movement and the sonnet speech. 


	11. The Atlantis Within

Hey all! I know, I know, it's literally been FOREVER since I've updated - but I was just too distracted by the battle with schoolwork! Nehow, here's the climax we've all been waiting for! Thank god I finally got it out of my system. Just to let you know beforehand, it's kinda unconventional, so please don't proceed with expectations - I wouldn't want to disappoint you. Just have fun and dream of Van! In case that you don't remember what happened in the previous chapter (hell, I don't even know if I remember), here's just a brief recap: Van and Hitomi are transported to Basram where they become imprisoned; President Basante (who works for the evil Branimir) wants them dead; in prison, they meet Zeer, Zongi's brother, who helps them out; there's that scene with Folken and his girl, Nerya; in the other world; Orion goes to save Van and Hitomi - and before he leaves, he gives Celena a kissy kiss! Blah, blah, blah.Hope that helps! Of course, you are more than welcome to go back and read the last chap! Enjoy the new one!  
  
X. The Atlantis Within  
  
The tower room is dark. But they light each other's faces with their smiles.almost like children that dread the night, they press close into each other. And yet they are not afraid. There is nothing that might be against them: no yesterday, no morrow, for time is shattered. And they flower from its ruins. R. M. Rilke, "The Lay of the Love and Death of Cornet Christophe Rilke"  
  
A clamorous clatter of steel crashed against the ground as Basante dropped the weapons nervously. Frantic and bloated with confusion, he knelt and banged his head on the floor. "My Lord, I'm most sorry."  
  
The large amount of metal and steel present in the armoury served to provide a magnificent echo of the booming voice. But the echo amplified not the voice's god-like quality but it's all-resounding evil. Basante, you should be sorry. First, your assassin failed to kill Orion. Then, your troops failed to destroy Freid. If it weren't for my Fireans, they would have escaped.  
  
"I, I, I.I'm.my most humble apologies," Basante blinked irritably as sweat dripped into his eyes.  
  
Nevertheless, you did well at the trial. They are in prison, right where I want them. But really, Basante, you ought to read more. It's quite embarrassing having you say the most preposterous words. Now, these are your final instructions, listen carefully: kill Orion again, make sure the head comes off this time! Execute him next dawn so Vannius will live to feel the pain. Kill the two of them next but make sure he watches her die. Understood?  
  
"Yes, Milord, yes, yes," Basante's wrinkled nose pressed uncomfortably against the ground.  
  
Today, Basante! Do it fast and do it good. You know what would happen if you fail me. Go!  
  
Basante jumped up in fright and scurried over the scattered weapons and ran out the door.  
  
The breathless evil remained, but it did not exist in the room. Branimir's world is not of Gaean or Terrestrial space. It is of Time - past, present, future and eternity. His voice echoed through the infinite tunnels and fabric of Time and it held an invisible hold on the universe. His spirit travelled with his voice and it too echoed within its own hollow core.  
  
He began his soliloquy. Alas, Seraphine, my love, what have you become? You've carved such deep trenches on my heart that I shall never be complete without you. Why must you love Vannius? It was I who rescued you from misery and prison, it was I who gave you your precious Amadis. Poor, sick little Seraphine, what a weak human you've become, a plaything of Time. If you had loved me wholly, the power of Atlantis would have been ours, not theirs. We will have ruled as they rule! You would have had the pleasure of outshining Her! Now for you, there is none but death. How happy!  
  
Let your betrayal and your machinations follow you to the grave. Death for you, death for me, death for all of us! Such power! Such glory! Vannius, you will see your world shatter! Then, you shall come to me, to my Realm, where power is not yours for the having. Then shall your vulnerability betray you. She will no longer be yours once she is here. The voice cackled then paused. The universe suspended in his voice.  
  
Knowing Vannius, she will die without ever being united with him. Being what she is, she needs more than a spiritual bond with him. If they never come together physically, she will never be fully mortal and her wish will not be fulfilled! Oh the power! My dear Freya, I'm truly sorry for the sacrilege. But you are mine! Ha! The end shall crown all.  
  
The words were done, the echo was done and everything bled into the pulsating centre of Time. Eternity unveiled itself and outshone Branimir. It pushed fate aside and steered the starry helm, voyaging towards the green lodestar. ....  
  
When Hitomi awoke again, her first sensation was clamour. She wondered how there could be so much noise in a prison. But when her eyesight became clearer, she realized she was not in the dungeon, but back in the trial box of the courtroom. A maelstrom was blowing. Van was standing in front of her and leaning over the edge, cursing pugnaciously. "I'm gonna kill you, Basante! You release him right now!" Basante made no coherent reply and just pounded the gavel relentlessly.  
  
Hitomi sat up and was in view of the entire room. What caught her soul was the sight of Orion chained to a post, near the judge's throne. She understood Van's exclamations. Orion must have come to save us and failed. While everyone raged, Orion kept his head down and suffered silently. Hitomi wanted to cry. He appeared so humble yet so strong, even with the chains clinging fiendishly to his beaten body. The stab wounds he got two weeks ago were gashed open. He was sentenced to be executed the next morning, exactly at dawn; his best friend is to follow him; his country lay in peril. But still, he seemed apart from human destinies. He is an unifier, a winnower of enduring souls.  
  
Fate and misfortune stood impregnable and enormous before Van, but he was indefatigable. Him and Orion brought conviction that gods do exist. Van yelled on and on but no one allowed him space. Eventually, something more worthy of his attention drew him away: the sound of clashing steel came from the courtyard outside. People turned to see what had happened and they shouted in excitement. The courtroom became a theatre as everyone watched the door intently waiting to see who would storm in.  
  
The doors were kicked open and a warrior strode in , stained with enemy's blood. Hitomi clasped onto Van for support, "It's.it's Selena!" Selena kept a dauntless vigilance, full to the brim with courage and determination. But mixed with all that was a fierce aggression, beatable only by itself. Her blue eyes fixated with a steadfast tempest upon Basante. An indistinguishable flame blazed within her and Hitomi feared it. With the sword and flowing cloak, Selena might have been mistaken for a female incarnation of Escaflowne, the God of War.  
  
Everyone fearfully made way for the attacker. She marched straight up to Basante and pointed the sword at his nose tip. "Basante! You will release my friends now!"  
  
Basante pressed his back against his chair and chuckled nervously. "Oh really? Why-why should I listen to you, duchess of the once existent Palas? Or should I call you Lord Dilandau?" Excited murmur arose across the room. Basante quickly gestured for the guards to capture her.  
  
She swung up her sword, and within seconds, her captors lay in pools of blood. She resumed her tall, confidence stance and stared at Basante.  
  
Van gasped and said sadly to Hitomi, "I recognize those moves with the sword. They're Dilandau's moves. He used them.on me."  
  
Love, fuelled by fear and anxiety, blazed beyond the threshold of containment and scorched Selena. Though she warred in the name of Love, and Dilandau merely slaughtered in malice, it was the self-same hell that cremated the heart. The pain of loneliness shadowed behind. Van and Hitomi called her but it was ineffectual. She was lost in the pandemonium within. Hitomi concluded that she was probably not even full conscious of her own actions. Someone had to reach into her psyche and call her back. So then he did.  
  
Orion lifted his head for the first time and called achingly, "Selena." The court grew quiet - all heard except her, whose fierce eyes remain fixed on Basante. Orion groaned and flinched a bit. He called again, with a little anger this time, "Selena!" As if awakened from an illusion, she blinked and turned to him, truly seeing him. The hell was cooled and a melancholy helplessness returned to her.  
  
"Selena," he continued weakly, "I'm sorry I got caught. I'm sorry I was not able to save Van and Hitomi. It seems you were right, my body has not fully recovered. This is my fault. Why are you punishing yourself?" she staggered slowly towards him. The tip of her sword dragged on the marble ground and made a scratching sound that mirrored the sharpness of her pain.  
  
"I'm the one who's wrong," Orion said, "Don't do this to yourself. Don't kill. Not for me. And if you do it for Van and Hitomi, they wouldn't want it either. Listen to me, Selena, put down your sword," she blinked in child-like confusion. He repeated, louder and more agonized, "Drop your sword!"  
  
She gasped as if life had been breathed out of her. The sword clanged on the ground and it was the only sound heard in the crowded courtroom. She knelt on the ground and covered her face with her hands. Her convulsive sobs felt like acid poured onto Orion's wounds. With the final smile, he said to her, "wingdalei souce da pouron." Selena's tears were accompanied by Hitomi's.  
  
When Basante chuckled in ridicule, the momentary spell of tragedy was broken for him and his people. Their world had to hurry on in its pathetic repetition and loveless muddledom. Sadness was for them a terrifying vision of a past when the spiritual world was not yet an arid desert. For one spectral second, they felt sad or sorry for the lovers, and Love itself had a glimmer of kinship. But the gavel soon pounded and the insulting noises flared up again. They shivered uneasily as they felt the passing of their own souls.  
  
While Hitomi wept, the scene began to undermine Van's hold on life. He saw pass the throng, the president and the guards and beheld Orion, scarred and chained, with Selena kneeling and crying before him. What is this if not Love? But why has it not conquered all? So there is no permanence. They're all sentenced to death. Van suddenly let go of Hitomi's hand and gripped his own heart. He was so immersed in what he thought was the ultimate revelation that he did not even notice Allen walking in, escorted by guards.  
  
Allen's action of helping Selena up was responded cruelly by Basante. "Schezar! Let me tell you, we have Zaibach's technology. If you interfere again, you can bet I'll change your sister back to Dilandau! So you better watch her and yourself. Don't even think about rescuing your friends!"  
  
Remarkable self-control reined back Allen's shock and wrath. He turned to Basante with dignity and steadiness. "It is you who should watch out," he then turned to the defendant's box, "Van, Hitomi, hang in there. I promise I'll come save you." Allen gleamed with invincible heroism. In all his fatigue and frustration, he still truly believed that all will be peaceful soon. But it was not himself he counted on, but Van and Hitomi.  
  
"Get them out!" Basante roared monstrously and the guards obeyed. Allen and Selena were forced out, but she suddenly let out a shrilly scream. All except Orion was stunned. "Selena," a tang of death could be heard in his voice. "It'll be okay. We'll meet again. Sei tu corai ansias, don't ever forget that. Good-bye." Then the guards dragged him off.  
  
She shrieked and tried to run to him but was restrained by the guards. As she was carried out, her thin arms extended out desperately towards him and the blood veins were visible beneath her sickly pale skin. She wanted to reach across the boundary of life and death. What does death matter anyways when there is eternal Love? But death always matters. Though it was but a concept in itself, she could not help but believe it was the opposite of life, the end of life and everything in it. Eventually, she collapsed into Allen's arms and hoped dismally that physical weakness may bring her closer to death, and therefore closer to him. ....  
  
The dungeon remained moribund for the rest of the day. Orion was taken to the cell at the very front of the corridor, far from Van and Hitomi. No one spoke, no mouse squeaked, no water dripped. There was the occasional echo in everyone's mind, "Sei tu corai ansias."  
  
Hitomi lay on the bed while Van sat in the corner. They both looked intently at the walls and ceiling, as if some eternal answers would be scrawled in black ink across the prison cell. But there were on answers. They forgot all about Aleph, Freya, Atlantis - to think would make the remainder of life much harder. As dusk approached, Van was strangely proud of himself - he believed he could evade the fear and thus die in peace.  
  
When night poured out its macabre self, a stifling sound came from Orion's cell. Lashes of whip slashed against the walls and tore at Orion's flesh. At first he gritted his teeth and endured the pain, constantly forming Selena's image in his mind, and thereby escaping the blood-stained reality. Earlier, he had placed the Twin Souls card in his palm and there it stayed. With each scorching lash, he held the card tighter until it became a tiny ball locked in his grip. The cuts on his back were split wider and wider, draining out his life and fortitude along with streams of blood. Tears and sweat poured over his gaunt face. Finally, all tenacity was lost and he decided not to hold onto heroism anymore. He released agonizing screams.  
  
Van stiffened against the wall when he heard. The wound on his arm had healed, but the nightmare perpetuated. The dungeon reverberated and echoed with the scream, which soon turned into a howl. Orion knew Van would be hurt by the wail but he felt so weak that the only choice was to scream out at fate, at life and death, at the gods. After each howl, Van withdrew further into the corner. The excruciation enslaved him in catatonic agony. He drew up his knees to his chest and covered his ears like a frightened child. But the screams continued.  
  
When Hitomi tried to hold him, he held out his arm and told her not to come near. It was one enemy he had to fight alone. Orion in pain, Orion to be executed.the trauma was too profound and the battle too pointless. Finally, Orion yelled. "Why?" it filled the dungeon, and Gaea itself trembled. The eternal question was followed by hacking coughs.  
  
Van became tenser. He shivered at the question and his blank eyes stared in wild dread. He realized that for the first time in his life, he was afraid to die. Never on a battlefield had he been afraid. But he took one look at Hitomi, and he wished he were immortal, for he did not know how to reconcile his mutability with deathless Love.  
  
His grey revelation filled him with hatred. Fate? Ha! Destiny? If human existence is reduced to this then life is more unfathomable than anyone ever imagined. He remembered Balgus had told him, "It is wisdom for a true warrior to accept both life and death." But while this philosophy had conviction and sincerity, it also had a tremulous vibration of revolt. He wanted to rebel against this fate, so he shut his eyes and called for Escaflowne, hoping it would come as it did five years ago in Zaibach.  
  
But it remained in Fanelia, cold and lifeless in the caves. The blood pact did not prevail. Van gave up and felt a contempt for the evanescence of all things. Calls of the name Escaflowne became mere echoes down the corridors of life. He suddenly became loose and let his limbs fall. Hitomi came to him.  
  
They sat together and fell not so much into sleep as into a visionary windlessness. A single candle lend poor light to the space. At around midnight, they heard their guard Zeer softly bang on the bars, "Hey, psst.Your Majesty? I've got a message."  
  
Van returned to reality, and reluctantly went into the front chamber of the prison cell. "What is it?" Hitomi followed him.  
  
"I'm afraid I've got bad new. I just heard that there's been a little rebellion in Fanelia. It seems in your absence, Lord Kailan got his friends to rescue him and his son. He tried to usurp your throne. Queen Millerna had them all executed."  
  
Hitomi gasped in shock but Van simply sighed. "Oh. I thought I told her not to kill them. But.it's done."  
  
"Hmm." Zeer clicked his tongue. "I'm really sorry, Your Majesty. But don't worry, I've got good news too. Here," he reached into his pocket and took out the pendant.  
  
"Where did you get that?" Hitomi exclaimed.  
  
"Well, I know where Basante keeps his little triumphs, so I made a little trip," he reached pass the bars and handed the pendant to Hitomi. But suddenly, his body began transforming.  
  
Hitomi stepped back in fright and Van stood in front of her defensively. "You're a.you're a doppelganger!"  
  
The true form was odorous and unpleasant so he quickly changed back to his human form. "Yes, I am a doppelganger, but please do not be afraid. Let me tell you a story. Do you remember the doppelganger you met in Freid, named Zongi?"  
  
Hitomi relaxed a bit and approached him curiously. "Y-yes, the one who took the form of Plaktu the priest and hypnotized me, except.I saw his true form. Are you Zongi? But you can't be."  
  
"I am not. Zongi was my brother. I was working in Freid's palace as a page. But Zongi was always the ambitious one in the family. He worked for your brother, Lord Folken, hoping to gain power. I was content with a simple life. He had once told me that he does some espionage and I knew then that he would get himself in trouble one day. Then I heard the news that the girl from the Mystic Moon and the king of Fanelia have gone to save Zongi's life, despite his being a doppelganger. I know you did not succeed but the attempt means a lot to me. There aren't many people who would risk their lives to save a doppelganger, especially not one like Zongi. For what you've done for my brother, I stole back the pendant for you as a show of gratitude," Zeer bowed sincerely.  
  
Van was no longer alarmed or perfunctory. The bond of brothers was something he himself understood. Furthermore, being a draconian, the fate of alienation suffered by the doppelgangers was a misfortune he shared. He held out his hand and shook Zeer's. Then he turned to Hitomi and put the pendant around her neck. "Wear it. I want you to be protected by it until the end."  
  
"Don't worry," Zeer said, "There won't be an end."  
  
They smiled at him emptily, perhaps in disbelief, but also in admiration for such faith and courage. But life was a god whose eternity required more than faith and prayers to prove. As they turned to get back into the inner chamber, Zeer pulled Van back while Hitomi went on.  
  
"Your Majesty," he whispered and cleared his throat. "This is going to sound weird, but um.have you two, um.you know,"  
  
Van pulled his arm back in annoyance and inched closer to the bars. "No, I don't know."  
  
"Oh," Zeer rolled his eyes. "Have you and the pretty lady, you know.bonded?" Van frowned but then blushed in embarrassment. "You understand my meaning, right? You know, consummation?" Zeer winked.  
  
Van darkened to mauve and started to leave, "That's none of your business."  
  
Zeer pulled him back. "Wait! Listen to me. From your reaction, I know you haven't, but you must, at dawn!"  
  
"What!" Van gasped in disgust and incredulity. "That is the most preposterous thing I've ever heard. I would never," he blushed uncomfortably, "Never ever violate Hitomi in that way!"  
  
Zeer gripped his arms tighter so he would not steal away. "King Van, you've got to believe me. You have to do it. It would be no violation, it would be salvation. I'm not trying to be sick or anything. But seriously, at dawn! I'll keep a look out and make sure no one comes. Please trust me!"  
  
Van stared suspiciously at Zeer but noticed that his eyes expressed such sincerity and truth that the only possible explanation would be insanity.  
  
"Please! You've got to bond," there was a desperation in Zeer's voice.  
  
Van coldly ripped Zeer's fingers from his arm and said sarcastically, "Right." Then he walked into the inner room, concealed from Zeer's sight. The doppelganger guard stood staring down the empty hall and mumbled incoherently to himself before he finally returned to the guard's nook, to pray.  
  
Van sat down on the bed and chuckled slightly. Then he realized, Hitomi was crying. "Hey, hey, what's the matter?" he tried to lift up her face gently and look into her eyes.  
  
She collapsed into his arms and quivered. "Van.I don't want to die. And I don't want you and Orion to die. What if we can't be together in the afterlife? What if we get separated like Folken and Nerya?"  
  
Van felt desiccated throughout and his throat dried in speechlessness. He feebly patted her back and realized she shrivelled up more. "Hitomi.death is one enemy we can't run away from. Perhaps we should learn to face it. It is tomorrow noon after all. Perhaps twenty years was enough. Orion used to say, 'tragedy is bearable only if we make ourselves conscious of it.'"  
  
She shook her head in passionate defiance. "Maybe we're too conscious of it. When my plane exploded, before I was transported to Serenus, I thought I would die and be with my family again. But then I didn't want to die because I was afraid I would never see you again. I want a lifetime with you, Van. And.and what about Valorick and Hermione? Does this mean they will never even exist? I thought that was our family, our home.what kind of a destiny is this?" she withdrew from his arms and sat straight against the wall.  
  
For the first time, hopelessness was in her eyes, and it entered Van like a stab. "I.Hitomi, I really don't want to fathom destiny anymore. I don't think it's my place as a mortal to possess knowledge of that kind," he suddenly remembered his trip back in time during which he thought he had died and journeyed to heaven. "You know, maybe death is just a continuation of life, except in a different world. Maybe it'll be a place where no distance or time can separate us again," he gripped her cold hands. "It'll be just like birth. In that sense, we will be together."  
  
She replied with a tight squeeze of his hand. Then she surveyed the chipped walls, cob-webbed corners and squalid ground of the prison cell. The confined space seemed woefully humble in its grim plainness. But the dance of the candlelight gave a blazing reminder that life exists everywhere. Hitomi put her head against Van's and said, "Is this the only home we'll ever know?"  
  
Unexpectedly, a foreign voice answered, "No, it is not."  
  
Van stood up in alarm and hatefully beheld the person standing before him. "Seraphine! How did you get here?"  
  
Her diamond eyes trembled stormily in the shadows like bright gods staring down at the mortals. "I have materialized out of the wind."  
  
Van bent down in a defensive position and heaved crossly. "If you're here to complete some mission for Branimir, then I will not hold back."  
  
To Van's surprise, Seraphine frowned sadly and replied with a tremour. "P- please, Vannius, it is not like that with Branimir. I've come of my own accord. I want to clarify a few things before it's too late."  
  
Van shifted weight uneasily and pondered her true motive. But Hitomi stepped forth from her corner. "Van, we should give her a chance. She might be able to help us," Van looked up at the ceiling then sat down with a thump.  
  
Seraphine expressed gratitude that Van thought her incapable of. She gestured for Hitomi to sit down also then he knelt in front of them. Her long, silver waves and white iridescent gown flowed softly over the ground and the tranquil profusion collected into a pool at their feet. As Seraphine was gathering breath for a difficult disclosure, Van thought strangely that perhaps she really is beautiful.  
  
She inhaled deeply then began. "You were right about me working for Branimir. When I first met you on Serenus, I was sent by him to break your Love," Van looked away distastefully. "I suppose Aleph knows about all this, but he stands aloof and never interfered, possibly because he foresees the resolution of all problems. I have failed Branimir, so as a result, he no longer employs me and has even punished me."  
  
"How has he punished you?" Hitomi asked.  
  
Seraphine paused, the veins of her swan neck stretched taut in nervousness. "Hitomi, it is the greatest crime that can ever be committed against a woman."  
  
Hitomi covered her mouth in dread. "W-what.do you mean he.he r-raped you?"  
  
"Not him. He would never dirty his own hands with the crimes he commands. He gave me away as a present to his leading general, Antenus."  
  
Hitomi frowned in torturous sympathy then she stood up. "Seraphine, I'm.I'm so very sorry." Hitomi opened her arms with such sisterly warmth that Seraphine responded with a sincere smile and a hug. Her beauty was no longer spurious.  
  
Suddenly, as Hitomi came in contact with Seraphine, an unforeseeable vision penetrated Hitomi's being and flooded out the prison. A gauzy, blood-hued light effused from the cloudy billows, rings of white buildings, marble pillars and obelisks encircled with winged creatures: Atlantis. There, beneath the Great Tree stood Seraphine and a majestically clad young man. She gazed at him amorously while he turned away in despair and tore a lead from the Tree. Then, a golden halo descended from the sky. Its blinding light was swirling and dancing until it reached the ground and became an emanation. It was a woman. Hitomi felt a sharp pain in her chest and fell back into Van, who was torn by his failure to awake her from the vision.  
  
The fiery light of Atlantis scintillated and the whole place glowed gloriously like a red nebula in the black cosmos. The strange woman of the halo approached the young man. He held up his right palm and she pressed hers against it lovingly. The two walked off, leaving Seraphine sobbing wretchedly. Then, a blonde warrior, impressive in a black armour, came up to Seraphine, pushed her against the tree and ripped open her clothes. She gazed at him curiously then submitted to his carnal embrace.  
  
Hitomi felt the cold ground beneath her. She opened her eyes to immense faintness and obscurity. Van smoothed over her hair until she finally recognized him and gripped onto him. "Van, it was horrible!"  
  
Seraphine knelt down beside her and touched her forehead. "You saw Atlantis didn't you?"  
  
Hitomi sat up against Van and breathed distressingly. She fixed her gaze on the floor and dared not look at either of them. "Yes, I-I did. I saw you, Seraphine, with this young man. It must have been Van," she stole a quick glance at his tortured face. "or rather.Vannius. But this strange woman came, she was like a light. She took him away. Then you were left with this warrior.Does Branimir have blonde hair and wears a black armour?"  
  
Seraphine stood up and nodded. "As a result of my turning to Branimir for consolation, my son Amadis was born. I've not seen my baby since his birth. I suppose you must have guessed who the other woman is."  
  
Hitomi trembled as she counted the hammering pulses of blood throughout her body. "M-me?" Seraphine's silence affirmed her fear. "Do you mean I stole Van away from you? Oh my God!" A sob broke out and Hitomi crawled out of Van's arms. "So I'm the intruder? I'm so sorry."  
  
As Hitomi's tears flooded out, Van sat petrified and confused. Seraphine took Hitomi's hands in her. "No, Hitomi, that is not true. The prophetic destiny I had with Vannius is inferior to your Love. I've accepted this. I willingly chose Branimir. I reincarnated on Serenus, because I hoped to break free from him, but alas I cannot, for he is my fate. But don't you see, fate does not apply to you," Seraphine used her snowy, willow fingers to wipe away Hitomi's tears.  
  
For a few moments of stupor and bewilderment, the three of them were suspended in their inner maelstrom. Logic was not enough to organize all the thoughts and the bpdy was too mortal to pump out all the emotions. Van inched closer to Hitomi and she did not move away. After some hesitation, Van inquired cautiously. "Seraphine, do you love Branimir?"  
  
"I." she began pacing slowly. "I do love him. We're a lot alike in many ways. I'm the only one who sees a heaven in his hellish heart. But it seems he does not really believe I love him," she stopped before the wall and wringed her hands. "Perhaps it's because he knows I've never forgotten you, Vannius. He loves me in his own way, I suppose.but love is difficult for him. He even hates his own mother. She is the matriarch of Athlon, and as long as she lives, he cannot be emperor. She also runs all the brothels in Athlon, so he accuses her of being the head source of the syphilis that kills soldiers yearly."  
  
Van and Hitomi listened with some repulsion but strangely, they felt an undeniable compassion for the nefarious leader of the Fireans. Hitomi still held the conviction that Branimir has a tragic core whence all his villainy sprung. Wanting to prove herself right, she eagerly asked, "So does Branimir hate Van because of you, because you never forgot Van? Is that why he wanted to break us up?"  
  
Seraphine bowed her head as if in shame and came up to them. "That is one of the reasons, but not the full reason. I must tell you what I should have told you long ago," she held their hands. "You must always remember that the power of Atlantis is unleashed by Love only. Two lovers have freed the power - you," she widened her starry eyes and they were entranced by her cosmic glow.  
  
Seraphine adjusted herself to a more comfortable position then continued. "Branimir wanted to bond with me, emotionally and physically, so that he might possess the power. But because my heart was never wholly his, the power was unattained and it went to you instead. He seeks revenge for this and he also wants you , Hitomi, to fall in love with him," Hitomi's eyes expressed an astonishing "what?" "He wants Basante to kill you because once you die, you will be more vulnerable to his power. He plans to rob Van of your heart. But he's a fool. All Love comes your Love. Love itself depends on you as much as you need it. Everything has been your will."  
  
Van closed his eyes. "Aleph said that too. What does it mean it's our will? We certainly did not will this!" he gestured at the prison walls.  
  
"I cannot explain well, I'm afraid. All I can say is," she stood up, "Atlantis lives inside you. It is inside all of our souls," she reached out her hands and pulled them up. "Love is on your side, and no death can take it away. Always remember that Love draws its power from Freya. She is not exactly the Goddess of Love and Hope. She is the Anima Mundi, the World Soul."  
  
"I know that phrase, Anima Mundi," Hitomi said, "it's Latin for 'Psyche of the World.'"  
  
"That's right. Like Atlantis, she lives within. Her blessings will be greater than mine." Seraphine looked at the tiny window above. "I must go, it is almost time."  
  
"Wait," Van expressed caring concern. "Where will you go?"  
  
"Vannius," she blushed slightly, "I mean, Van, you must have known since Serenus that you are able to reincarnate. That means you're an aeon like myself."  
  
"An aeon? Doesn't that mean time?"  
  
"Yes. But it also means an angel of immense Time. In other words, immortal Atlanteans. Not all inhabitants of Atlantis had been destined so. There are four dimensions of Time: past, present, future and eternity. We belong to the last of these. As an aeon, we have three paths: reincarnation as you and your brother have chosen, or stay in the same form forever like Branimir, or resign all life and enter the Eternal Realm like Aleph and Folken. I will now go to Athlon and resign my life there."  
  
"I understand," Van nodded and held out his hand. "I hope we will be at peace."  
  
"I think we already are," she bowed slightly in gratitude. "But I must tell you something now," she held Van's hand and pulled him closer. "The only way to defeat Branimir at this stage is to take Zeer's advice. You must bond as he says."  
  
Van stepped back in disbelief. "What? You can't be serious."  
  
Hitomi shook his arm in perplexity. "What is it, Van?"  
  
"You must," Seraphine's eyes gleamed with determined fire. "It must be at dawn, at the exact moment Orion dies."  
  
Van shook his head and approached the brink of laughter. "No! I don't know what you mean by this! I just.I just can't." Hitomi gently touched his back and he shied away in fright. "I'm sorry, Hitomi, I just."  
  
"Van!" Seraphine gripped him by the shoulders and forced his eyes to meet hers. "Pull yourself together, young king. I'm handing you the only way to defeat the impending tragedy. You've felt the thinness of time since the beginning, and now you must let it feel you." Van tensed up in bewilderment but eventually, he eased into a demure understanding, an intuition even and Seraphine released him.  
  
She backed up against the wall and smiled lovingly at Hitomi. "My dear lady, be not afeard. Remember all that I've told you." Then, her body began to waver in and out of space. Seraphine was transformed into a transparent, gossamer light that bore the faint appearance of a person. Before her face completely became a whisper in the wind, she said, "Feel the power of the Anime Mundi, and always believe in the Atlantis within. Remember, at dawn!" Then, all were shadows, embossed with watery patches of candlelight.  
  
Hitomi calmly sat down and took the dragon-phoenix relic in her hands. She turned it over and over meditatively while Van pensively paced the room like a wise king. Then Hitomi looked up at him and said, "We're going to die very soon."  
  
He stopped his contemplation and sat down beside her, drawing her into his arms. "I know. I've accepted it, sounds like you have too."  
  
She looked down at the relic. "I have. After what Seraphine has told us, I feel death is not so frightening anymore. Perhaps I'm being naïve, but at this point, I hardly think it matters. Besides, the Death card symbolizes the dawn of a new beginning anyways."  
  
Van laid back on the mattress, hands beneath his head. "I don't think we're being naïve. I think this is right. Balgus used to say that the greatest wisdom is the courage to face both life and death. Our lives have been tempestuous, huh?" Hitomi smiled and placed her head on his chest. "You know, Hitomi, I think life and death are just concepts man made up. If someone never learns that life and death are thought to be opposites then they are essentially the same thing for him."  
  
Hitomi smoothed his shirt. "Right. Life and death are relative. Just like Time. You're a wise king, Van," she hastily said the last part and quickly grew silent. Van became very tense and squinted his eyes to scrutinize the water stain on the ceiling. It resembled the dragon head of Fanelia's crest, just like the stain in his room. "Van, what about Fanelia?"  
  
"I.I really don't believe this is the end," there was a tenacious, even stoic fortitude in his voice. "Death will not be our end, so Fanelia still has hope. I won't let anyone harm my homeland and my people."  
  
Hitomi looked up at him in admiration and held him tighter. "I love the sound of your beating heart. It makes me think it'll beat forever." Then they laid together, firmly against each other and peacefully observed the dance of shadow and light.  
  
The spiritual need to reconcile time and death to intimations of immortality was answered. Existence shall always be about Life. But this Life has no opposite in death. It is the synonym of Time, in all its dimensions. The breathing life is but one hemisphere of the soul's existence, and the second half of Life is lived in what mortals call death. Together with Eternity and Infinity, the two hemispheres complete the cosmic cycle of gained-lost-regained, born-died-reborn.  
  
"Van, what did Zeer advise you to do?" Hitomi suddenly asked.  
  
In nervousness and embarrassment, Van gently pushed her off his chest and stood up and resumed his pacing. "Oh, it's nothing. It's.it's nothing important. It's nonsense really."  
  
Hitomi curled up on the bed. "But Seraphine seemed to take it seriously. Just tell me what it is."  
  
He continued the awkward pacing then remembered that great decisions must not be dissected and must be made in the splendor of one feverish moment. Though he had tried to tailor the question in his mind and sculpt it to perfection, time encouraged his heart to feel the right path and go over to Hitomi at that very second and kneel down.  
  
"Van!" she sat up on the bed with a blush. "What are you doing?"  
  
He held her hands and contrived to appear dashing and romantic, but what came out instead was a solemn, oceanic and fiery poetry that Hitomi thought suited Van best. "Hitomi, I.I've thought about this for a long time. You know that in the present situation, I cannot give you a kingdom, or even a nice home. But I." he breathed deeply and cleared his throat. The air seemed very suffocating. "I would still like, I mean." he finally looked up at her, "Will you be my.queen, in the world to come?" A creeping liquid seemed to encroach on Van's heart as he knelt and waited for her answer.  
  
Hitomi sat in astonishment, breathlessness, but above all, unsurpassable joy. She gasped for air among the bubbles of rapture this long-dreamed of question offered, but she breathed in only light. She knew, from then on, she will always be a creature of radiance and heaven would penetrate her soul, through and through. She has often imagined, while in bed at home, what it would be like when Van proposed to her. Though she had not exactly fantasized about being in a cold prison, with no beautiful scenery as a backdrop, she knew Van offered to her more than marriage, but Life itself. An intense force swelled up in her. She knelt down beside him and threw her arms around his neck. "Of course!"  
  
He laughed, his heart laughed out loud. They giggled at each other and wiped away the tears that softly veiled their empyrean eyes. Then Van remembered, "I'm sorry I can't give you a ring, or a token of some sort."  
  
"Take the pendant then," she took the rosy stone off her neck and handed it to him. He gingerly wrapped it around her entire hand. "It's our tradition to bind a bejewelled band around the hand of the betrothed," he smiled and added, "Sei tu corai ansias."  
  
She stroked his cheek tenderly. "We'll build ourselves a home in the other world. I cherish you, Van Fanel," she grinned sheepishly then snuggled into his arms. They sat up on the mattress and unconsciously embarked on the odyssey to the mystic peak where they never thought they'd find home.  
  
Van pulled Hitomi onto his lap and kissed her neck, and collar bones. She unknowingly parted her lips for she felt the air had become keenly sparse. She was soon forced to breathe for longer intervals and the pressure upon her lungs expanded into an incandescent sphere that flowed to the rest of her body. She suddenly said, in a wispy, quiet voice, "Remember that time at the.at the mill in.in Asturia, you told me," she coughed, "You told me.by accident perhaps," she laughed a little, "You said you.you said you wanted me. Do you still?"  
  
He looked at her and stood up, holding her up also until her feet floated above the floor. He pressed her against himself and whispered into her ear, "I want you."  
  
Her heart pumped turbulently against his, "Say it again."  
  
He stroked her back and her skin was soft like the face of a petal. "I want you, Hitomi." He kissed her, almost voraciously. She had a distinct smell, he thought, like the scent of the wind as he flies in the air. Then he vaguely recalled what Oneseme, the Etolian sage, had told him: "If Time opens up, at first it will open up for you only. To contain it, you must let yourself be pulled by its gravity, and you must enter its circle." Banishing all shyness and doubts, and recruiting life, death and Love by his side, he surrendered himself to the circle and lay down beneath the gravity of Love.  
  
With a few laughs and awkward tangling, they managed to remove each other's clothes. The relic had been dropped on the ground and it mysteriously began glowing, a crimson, liberating fire of gravity. But the main course of light in the small room emanated from the single candle. In the stillness of the night, the flame rose higher and higher until it seemed to become a tall, solid obelisk with a phoenix feather tip that magnificently pierced the virgin air.  
  
From her soft-flowing limbs, passion-parted lips, from his immense eyes and intoxicating touch, there came an incandescence. The vaporous atmosphere wrapped them in all-dissolving power and they felt they were particles born from nebular ether. His presence flooded and mingled through her blood till it became his life, which in turn revitalized hers. In the tremulous motions, their beings were condensed into a single drop of ecstasy.  
  
Outside, the eastern sun gradually crept towards the horizon. The relic vied to compete with the sunlight. The pendant, wrapped around Hitomi's hand and trailing on Van's back, also began to glow. Gaea was turning.  
  
(Masked guards approached Orion's cell and found him sitting, with a steady firmness on his face. As they dragged him out, he looked towards Van's direction and smiled clownishly.  
  
The same sun began to beat above Fanelia. Allied troops spied the approach of the Basram army, coming to claim what they called their rightful colony. Allen, exhausted but valiant as ever, hurried out to gather the warriors, whose patriotic expressions would soon gaze on defeat.)  
  
Van and Hitomi received a gift of mutual immersion they had never known. It required no training, no thought, only pure nature. It was a sublime drowning in a liquid homage. They felt they were immersed in the natural position of the soul and all life drained into them. Red petals from the immortal flower called amaranth, which grows in Elysium, were blown to them and the petals formed an unimaginably high tower that touched a never before conceived paradise.  
  
The aurorean light flowed over the horizon. Sky and ocean met clearly and boundlessly. Sea waves sparkled before the sun, undulating softly at times, more wildly at others. But eventually, the ups and downs of the billows were harmonized into one oceanic heave that throbbed with the dawn.  
  
(Orion ascended the dirty wooden steps of the scaffold. He was blindfolded, and forced to kneel before the block. In his fist, he still clutched the Twin Souls card.  
  
The allied troops charged head on against the Basram invaders. Death broke out, in all the visions of the word "horror". Steel blades no longer shone when blood was smeared on.)  
  
The prison walls seemed to have vanished for them and they soared free as the gods above. But when Hitomi extended her arms, her hand still hit the wall. She scratched it fiercely and the sharp sound echoed down the dungeon. "Oh, Van." she exclaimed once but he quickly covered her mouth.  
  
Every kiss, every motion fed into the burning experience. They both wanted to banish the crude approximation of the word 'sex'. The tumult of that insufficient and desecrated word haunted each inflamed movement. But all the same, they were in tune with infinity, boundless as the sea, flowing faster, deeper into them and striving harder and harder to touch every inch of the world.  
  
(Orion's head was pushed down against the block. He chanted the phrase, 'sei tu corai ansias', not because it might save his life, but because it spoke to death itself.  
  
Selena panicked over her brother's safety and eventually broke out the caves with a sword in her hand.)  
  
The relic and pendant glowed continuously. A strange, aria-like song arose in the background. It was a cosmic music that bloomed from space and prevailed over everything. But only Van and Hitomi heard it.  
  
Gods of pure flame were born in them, completely melting the pinnacles of virgin snow. The cosmic orchestra swelled out from the fountain of creation. Trumpets flourished, drums boomed and a trio of violin joined. From the music, Love, the flame of all flames was born. The Aeolian spirits joined in the chorus.  
  
Orion felt the cold, sharp blade descend on the back of his neck. The crumbled card in his hand fell to the ground.  
  
Before Selena reached the battlefield, she suddenly felt a tempestuous lightning through her soul. She jolted and collapsed forward, gasping as her heart was compressed into a teardrop. He is dead.  
  
Orion's head faced up and with his last hint of life, he smiled, at tragedy, and at the new beginning that is being born.  
  
A new world is not all that is born. Van and Hitomi summoned the future. Time comes through their embrace and a new human being arises. Destiny is consummated and it awakens the law by which a vigorous seed journeys to the egg-cell that advances lovingly to meet it.  
  
Beside the music of the summit, Van heard a distant, sonorous voice yelling to him, "Damn you, Vannius! I will return." He immediately recognized it to be Branimir's voice. But he ignored it. "I love you, Hitomi Kanzaki."  
  
Their ravishing union wafted from merely the impassioned entanglement of two lovers to the unseen and unknowable union of all time and space. The pendant and energist beat in fiery unison. Escaflowne suddenly vanished from the Nerya caves. It simply retreated back to its mystic realm where war and peace are irrelevant. It need not ever reappear again.  
  
The apocalyptic music burst free. Above the sun, the constellation of Orion mystically arose and marked the dawn of the Atlantis within.  
  
A red Atlantean force emanated from the relic and the pendant. Time opened up. The Universe trembled in response then all was metamorphosed.  
  
~ End of Part X ~  
  
I know the ending with the whole sex scene is really weird but it's never been done before (well, actually, the idea of divine sex that transforms the universe is taken from Shelley's "Prometheus Unbound", so I thought it would be cool - this is a love story after all. I hope you didn't find the sexualized language offensive. Or maybe you thought it was not explicit enough - I can't really be too literal without cheapening my story into porn, so sorry. If you have any specific comments about the section, please do not hesitate to contact me. The whole reason behind why they must bond physically is fully explained in Book II, but I hope you've already picked up some of the clues. The next few chapters are a kind of rounding off - there are some nice moments, I think ;). They also lead on to the rest of the story. Please keep on reading ^_^  
  
Just a side note: someone recently left me an 'interesting' review (on ch.1) and I thought I should just clear up some misunderstanding - firstly, I switch tenses in my writing in order to reflect the theme that past, present and future mingle together, which is why you may find that the tenses switch dramatically; second, I may be mistaken about the Latin word 'drakon' (I know you're thinking that 'to see' is something more along the lines of 'vide') but from what I read it does say the word is used in Latin poetry, though rarely and derived from Greek; third, events in the story happen without any signs of them coming, because there are no signs - do you know exactly what is going to happen tomorrow? Besides, it's an adventure fantasy! Lastly, about the style, I know it can be frustrating for some people, if that's the case with you, then don't read it - there are many stories that are more enjoyable than mine. Upon my friend's advice, I will be changing the style in Book II in order to accommodate readers. Besides, my writing changes daily, so there's no need to worry!  
  
Notes and Points of Interest: In Mysticism and Occultism, the Anima Mundi is the World Soul, kind of like a female counterpart of God (the word Anima is Latin for soul - it's also a nice pun on the word anime, which we all love); an aeon is an angel of time, according to Gnostics. Btw, some of Basante's words during the trial are weird, not because they're misspelled - he actually talks like that. 


	12. Deathlessly

Remember how the last three chapters were actually supposed to be one big thing? Well, this chapter 'Deathlessly' is also the first of a trilogy that was originally written as one painfully long chapter. 'Halcyon Days' (original title) is the second sub-section of this trilogy and 'Tears of Time' is the last, and also the official ending to Book I. Hope you liked the last chapter - the end of it was supposed to be the climax. Yep, the idea of putting a sex scene at the climax is weird, but I tried really hard to make it sound romantic and poetic, instead of lusty and all round yuck! The remaining chapters are pretty much follow-ups, but they explain a few things and introduce new elements which will lead to Book Two. There are some nice moments, though slower, so bear with me. Happy flying - mind your wings in the wind!  
  
XI. Deathlessly Does it exist though, Time the destroyer? When will it shatter the tower on the resting hill?.  
  
Are we such tremblingly breakable Things as destiny tries to pretend? Does childhood's promise, deep, unmistakable Down in the roots, then, later, end?.  
  
We, though we wax but for waning, Fill none the less for remaining Powers a celestial need. R.M. Rilke  
  
The crimson might of Atlantis burst gloriously into the receiving universe that opened its arms to welcome a metamorphosis. Skeins and strands of cosmic light wove out of two separate galaxies and leapt towards each other. The bands of light embraced mutually and their parent galaxies trailed behind, also ready to merge as the lovers have. Then, there was a chromatic dance of lights as the two galaxies swam together in the black, starry sea. They wove into each other, intertwining the bands of red light, until they became one single galaxy, shaped like a heart, with two separate nucleus that beat as one.  
  
The interweaving grew more intense and ecstatic and the whole figure of enamored and mutually animating encircling revealed dimensions upon dimensions of existence: the pattern of the universe. But at the center of this merged galaxy, the pattern was not complex as expected, but simple, for at the very heart of the galaxy, time and space cease to exist. Time can be turned back, space can be manipulated, and destiny itself created anew. Life and death are irrelevant to the infinite and eternal lights. Love alone lives in the heart of the intertwined twain. Love is the Iris: the Goddess of Rainbows, the blue-yellow blossom of trinity, the color of the eyes.the Hitomi. ....  
  
The phenomenon of physical union overtook Van and Hitomi. To be naked yet warm, to wander through celestial pastures before death, made life the great victor. They felt exhausted and though they expected the sky to be bright, the apocalyptic colors had died back into the east and the heavens entered blackness. Was it really night or was it death? They felt calm about either so they crept into each other's arms and sleep came like petals that fell before the hand touched the branch.  
  
A little red light lingered, near the zenith. But ere long, their world entered an undimensioned, impenetrable darkness. There was no moon above, no stars shining. It was the real Night. But out of the absolute black vacancy there came a warmth, sweet-scented and comforting. In the dark the world had no limit and the boundaries were the length and width of their combined bodies. The veritable Night enwrapped them like a blanket and dispersed all death.  
  
The dark was nothingness for Van - he felt nothing and thought nothing. He lay on nothing and gave up the attempt to navigate. Suddenly, he felt something undulating against him. It had the dry feel and rustling sound of grass in the wind. The smell of woods after rain came to him out of the night. With these invading senses, he extended his arm. What he felt was not the stony prison walls but soft vegetation. With his aching hands, he gripped and pulled.  
  
At once, he found himself on firm ground, no longer floating in nothingness. A birdsong broke in upon his mind. Being accustomed to the dark, he opened his eyes cautiously. Garish sunlight stung him. He dimly perceived that he was lying, chest-down, in some field filled with grass and flowers. The prison had vanished. When he regained his full vision, he blinked and saw clearly: the Fanelian royal tombs lay a few feet away from him.  
  
He ventured to get up on one elbow. His bewildered and tearful eyes feasted upon the emerald cedars, the marble tombs, the golden patches of sunlight and the encircling birds. "The dell.my Empyrean." He saw Reality and thought it was either a vivid dream or a beautiful death.  
  
A gentle zephyr blew and he felt a bit chilly. Noticing he had absolutely no clothes on, he quickly pulled on his pants. Then he saw Hitomi sleeping calmly beside him. Cautiously, he placed his trembling fingers on her neck to feel her pulse. Right when he touched her, she shuffled and opened her eyes. He fell back in relief.  
  
"That tickles, Van." She sat up with a bright smile. She reached for his hand but seeing his tortured and petrified expression, she realized her environment for the first time. "Oh my.isn't this Fanelia? How.how did we get here? Could it be that." she covered her mouth in daunt but afterwards she thought that if death really was thus, it was pleasant and real. The boundless bliss and liberation of last night, the beauty of Fanelia, all served as premonitions of heaven.  
  
Van responded to her perplexed gaze by saying dryly, "If we have been executed and we died, somewhat unconsciously, then I guess.this afterlife is not so bad. We're back in Fanelia, in a way." He helped her put on her clothes then they stood back against back in the heart of the dell.  
  
Hitomi noticed the relic lying on the ground so she picked it up and returned it to her pocket. She unwound the pendant from her hand and placed it around Van's neck. "Van, do you think we should explore the rest of this place?" She gazed up at his peering eyes, which looked more mystic than ever.  
  
He nodded and started off. Before they passed the stout trees that guard the entrance, he chanced to glance back at the corner where Escaflowne usually stood. That's strange, he thought to himself, Escaflowne is not there. Maybe it's in the caves. He ignored the mystery and went on.  
  
Down the bowered and fragrant garden path, Hitomi thought she had received new senses. The beauty of Fanelia was beyond terrestrial sight, smell or sound. There was a prodigality of sweetness in the air and she felt intoxicated by nature as she had been on Serenus. Van too was somewhat eased by the russet path flecked with innumerable golden pools. He looked up through the trees and saw patches of a pure blue sky that shaded to violet or pink at the top. After the battles, the evacuation and prison, he could hardly remember his birthplace as being thus beautiful. But then he recalled something, "I nearly forgot.the execution.Orion!" he exclaimed and darted forth in anxiety, leaving Hitomi calling after him.  
  
He sped up every muscle in his body and ran down the path. When he finally emerged into the edge of the garden, a remarkable scene met his eyes. The castle garden was not filled with dying soldiers as before. There was a profusion of lustrous green, mingled with the sweet pink and yellow of the blossoms. The unstained castle walls gleamed in the sunlight. Above the castle, the young sky bloomed into a great fan like a peacock's tail. A morning wind gently lifted the hair off his forehead.  
  
But what made the garden a heaven was the view of Selena and Orion standing by the glistening fountain. She was picking flowers as he playfully danced around her and drew her into his arms. In their happiness, they did not notice the two figures who observed them in solemn silence.  
  
Van inhaled then stepped forth intrepidly towards the couple. As Orion was tickling Selena, they in their rapture seemed creatures of paradise, far removed form the transience and misery of the world beneath. Van marched swiftly up to Orion, secured him by the shoulders then pressed his hand forcefully against Orion's heart.  
  
The hysterical laughter ceased and the merriment faded to a stupor. "Van, you're back!" Orion yelled excitedly then smirked. "Hey! This is no way to greet your best friend and your brother. You're pressing too hard, it hurts!" he pushed off Van's arms and gave him a hug. "Ah, ha ha ha, old boy. Good to see you again! And this is."  
  
Just as Orion was about to go to Hitomi, Van restrained him and an expression of myth and tragedy shadowed his pale countenance. "Why are our hearts still beating?"  
  
Orion and Selena stared. "Oh, hell, I don't know," Orion shrugged, "Could it be because we're alive?"  
  
Van stepped back and shouted. "What do you mean? I thought Basante killed you! What about Basram's attack on Asturia and Freid? And the Fireans? Surely you remember the griffin. And Selena, you.you." she fluttered her lovely lashes in confusion. "Hitomi," he turned to her with a plea, "What do you think is going on?"  
  
"Ah!" Orion threw up his arms and strode to Hitomi suavely. "So this must be the enchanting Lady Hitomi whom my pal here has pined over since for ever!" he kissed her hand then knelt down, pressing her palm on his heart. "My! You are an extraordinary one! Surpassed only by my Selena, of course. Well, no wonder Van fantasizes every night. Ouch!" Orion felt a sharp kick on his back. "Okay, okay, I won't tell her. But anyways, it is my utmost honor to finally meet you and to welcome you back to emerald Fanelia."  
  
Before Hitomi could form a coherent line of thought, Selena stepped in front of her and curtsied charmingly. "Lady Hitomi, I am Selena Schezar. My brother says you were good friends during the war. He and Van have told me so many wonderful things about you," she held Hitomi's hands. "I have waited for this happy moment for a long time."  
  
Hitomi softly withdrew her hands and went to stand by Van. "Selena, Orion, I don't understand this, we've already met before. It's been at least three weeks. How come you guys seem to have no memory of it? I can't explain this."  
  
Selena's eyes saddened a little in perplexity then she went over and held Van's arm affectionately. "Van, I'm sure you two do not mean to frighten us with these extraordinary remarks. You must be weary from your journey. Perhaps a nice lunch and a nap will make you feel better. I understand that weather on the Mystic Moon can be rather sultry, as to induce dizziness."  
  
Van held her tight by the shoulders and gazed at her fiercely. "No, Selena, you don't understand. We're not hallucinating. Just minutes ago, we were on Gaea, in a prison cell in Basram. Basante put us there. We were to be executed. Orion had already died. You tried to save him, so did Allen, but everyone failed. I don't understand why you don't know any of this. Where's Allen, Nestor, and Merle?"  
  
Orion wedged in between Van and Selena and pushed Van down onto a bench. "Okay, now listen up, Fanel!" Orion crossed his arms authoritatively. "Don't scare us like this. I don't know what planet you got drunk on, but here's the thing, the truth," he turned and winked at Hitomi. "First, we have never met Lady Hitomi before. If we did, it must have been in a dream. Second, Asturia and Freid are fine. King Allen is coming tomorrow morning, so you can ask him and freak him out too. Third, you don't know this, but President Basante passed away a week ago. His son is the leader now and as you know, he's in love with Princess Eries, so I very much doubt that he'll be killing any of us soon. Fourth," he touched his own neck, "I really don't recall being killed. See, my head is still on my neck. And well, you two don't look dead to me. Bleh!" Orion stuck his tongue out at Van and made a clown face. "So are you still delirious?"  
  
A fierce silence encroached upon Van so he looked away crossly. Indeed he could not ignore his own reason and sensations, which told him his present state was not death or heaven, but living, breathing reality.  
  
"Well, forget it," Orion broke the stillness. "Maybe you'll figure it out later. But today, we need to celebrate your birthday. The big two zero! Woo-whoo!" Orion started jumping up and down.  
  
Van remained cold and motionless. "What do you mean? I just had my birthday not long ago. What day is today?"  
  
Orion stopped and stared. "Hello! Today is White, 12th Moon, Year of the Emerald Star, 5ADW. This, if you'll recall, is your birthday. You've been gone for nearly a color. Have you lost all sense of time?"  
  
As an argument was impending, Selena stepped in. "Orion! Please! Van, wherever you were with Lady Hitomi, there was probably a different passage of time than on Gaea. Maybe if you wait a few days, the time zones might intersect again, and we won't be confused anymore. Until then, you should rest."  
  
Hitomi came up and whispered to Van. "She's right. We will figure it out later. Just be content that we're not in any imminent danger, nor in death for that matter."  
  
After some hesitation, Van smiled and took Hitomi's hand. "Of course, how can I not be glad that a war never occurred? Okay," he shrugged, "is it time for a meal?" As the two girls advanced towards the castle, the two young men remained behind.  
  
Orion gave a wacky howl and slung his arm casually on Van's shoulder. "Hope you feel better soon, bro. Food will be good for you."  
  
"Wait," Van thought of something at once. "You called me brother, so does that mean we made the blood pact before I left?"  
  
"Yeah," Orion widened his eyes and nodded like a child. "Duh! Remember, last year, when Merle fell from the tree house and I dived after her and discovered I had draconian wings, flap, flap," he used his arms to imitate the movement of wings. "Oh, for crying out loud, Van! How could you forget such a momentous event of my life? Thanks a lot," Orion pretended to turn away in anger.  
  
Van pulled him back. "Okay, okay! Would you quit acting this way? I remember alright? I remember how you save Merle, and saved me from.being the last draconian on Gaea."  
  
"That's more like it," he tussled Van's hair. "Say, I have to ask," Orion snickered quirkily and inched closer to whisper. "You've been gone for quite a while, you must have had a chance to get lucky," Orion winked slyly and nudged Van.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Van rolled his eyes and walked away.  
  
"Oh, come on, Van, tell me! You can trust me! Who am I going to tell? Allen? Selena? Merle? Nestor?" Van turned around and gave him a don't- you-dare look. "I'm just kidding. Come on! You told me so much and now when you've actually bonded with your love, you're not going to tell me?"  
  
Van turned around and sighed in annoyance. He closed his eyes briefly and when he reopened them there was a glow, which immediately gave Orion the satisfactory answer.  
  
"Way to go!" Orion slapped him on the back. "I knew it! Ha ha. So you're the first out of the two of us. Of course, you can't beat Allen," he chuckled. "But tell me, how was it?" Orion rubbed his palms together voraciously.  
  
"Stop it!" Van grunted and headed off again. "Can we please talk about something else?"  
  
Orion caught up to him and lay a hand on his shoulder. "Okay, calm down! Right, I forgot to tell you, Merle and I got you a present. You know how we've been digging diamonds in the caves," Van turned but soon the incredulity was swallowed by the familiarity of astonishment he has experienced so often. "Well, we found a really special diamond. I'll give it to you later. You see, it's not exactly for you, but when you see it you'll know what to do with it, I hope."  
  
Thus the two brothers re-entered their home, in emerald Fanelia. Their souls have suffered, in time and space, consciously and unconsciously. But they do not stifle, for beneath their mutability, they possessed constancy. Union and reunion are no longer indubitable or spurious. The brotherhood holds. It may be that life would pale and vanish and reappear all in one heartbeat, but it lives on. Nothing passes that will not come again. ....  
  
Merle's vivacious remarks and Orion's small mischief gave the midday meal a light-hearted glow. No sense of strangeness inhabited the atmosphere. Van dismissed the whole conflict with Branimir as a tempestuous nightmare. This state of bliss is the true Reality. Because Hitomi had already been back in Fanelia once, during that 'dream' of the past month, everything had warmth of familiarity, a sense of home at once sad and passionate.  
  
After lunch, Van hurried with Nestor and Orion to meet Dryden by the caves behind the castle. The king was determined to learn a new history of the diamond caves, the same way that he had re-learned Orion's miraculous discovery of his draconian blood. Everything had been metamorphosed. History is only half-real. Therefore the past no longer remained just the past, but present and future all together. Time has fully bloomed.  
  
When Hitomi entered the guest quarters next to the royal chambers, she found that her backpack was there also. As she laid out her things, Merle pranced in and began explaining the geography of Gaea: Valasia, Etolia, Asopia and Asgard. Hitomi looked up with a blank gaze. A sense of deja-vu overcame her. Hadn't Merle told me this before, when I first returned to Fanelia?  
  
She blinked with a lapse of focus then understood it: the time zones have already met and will forever mingle. Smiling, Hitomi flung herself into a chair. "So Merle, any love interests?" Thus the past conversation took a new place in the present, but nevertheless retained its self-same content and emotions.  
  
After Merle left, Hitomi returned to her bag and once again selected the most cherished possessions. The relic was already in her pocket, where it always is. She added the two photos, and was surprised by the Twin Souls card which she thought she had given to Selena. Before leaving the room, she threw off her watch, for it had stopped ticking.  
  
Once again, she snuck into Van's room next door, except this time, she knew where everything was. She simply sat down at his desk and opened the same book she had been reading before. Strangely, the bookmark was where she had left it.  
  
A gentle knock came from the door. Immediately, the past flooded into the present. Hitomi knew it was Selena on the other side of the door; she knew it not out of visionary fortune telling, but out of living experience, an unmistakable reality that lives twice. Intrepidly, she opened the door and beheld Selena, brimful of the Schezar serenity.  
  
The minute by minute replay of the past scene was both excruciating and hilarious. This sense of knowing what will be said and done the next second was unlike having visions. It was liberating, and in some ways intoxicating, a truer conviction that Love rises above time. Hitomi let herself commingle with the scene and naturally uttered the same things she had said to Selena before.  
  
Free from past and future, Selena talked on with her everlasting grace. She spoke of being Dilandau, confessed to Hitomi about having liked Van and lastly revealed her growing love for Orion. This Selena, saved from the agony of a destroyed homeland, possessed a face of royal beauty and not of misery. Though she was still shadowed by memories of Dilandau, she was at peace. Whatever she spoke of, her heart would fixate on it with all tenacity and hope. She was slightly different from the Selena Hitomi had already known, but the soul was the same. Hitomi could still see the young woman who burst into the courtroom with a sword, valiantly defending her love. As Selena shyly talked of Orion, Hitomi noticed an unearthly calm in her. It was a calm that no storm would ever succeed. Its unearthliness may be due to the lack of melancholy hope she had seen before. It might have been profound seriousness or immortality. But no, Hitomi concluded that it means a lifetime of friendship.  
  
At the end of their conversation, Hitomi once again gave Selena the Twin Souls card and inspirited her with hopes of evil-cleansing Love. Selena left with a newfound assurance and Hitomi returned to the book. While she was immersed in contemplations of the philosopher king, Van suddenly burst in with a confounded look on his face.  
  
"Hitomi," he came up to her, "Escaflowne.it's disappeared."  
  
"What do you mean?" she threw down the book and stood up.  
  
"It just vanished, I can't find it anywhere," his tone was somewhat mysterious, either of panic or relief. "Orion says I took it with me when I went to find you. But that's just not possible. I went to Serenus by the pillar of light. Escaflowne never even left Gaea. No one has seen it since my departure."  
  
"So it's gone.forever?"  
  
Van looked away for a moment then turned back to her and held up the pendant. "Try it, Hitomi,"  
  
She received the visionary stone with her palm then suspended it from its golden chain. As in her previous volitional visions, she surrendered the present time and space, and allowed all to fade into the darkness, leaving behind only herself with the hanging pendant. But the darkness remained vacant and silent, producing nothing except anxiety. She prolonged her search for two more minutes but the pendant never swung and Escaflowne's absence only seemed more pressing. Hitomi relented. She fell back into a chair and let the pendant drape on her side.  
  
"I tried, Van," she said with regret and disconsolation. "I tried really hard to find Escaflowne, but I couldn't see anything. That power.the force of visions I've felt since five years ago, it's just.gone. It completely vanished, like Escaflowne."  
  
Van made no reply and simply stood, looking out the window. The impeccable brightness of the outside world seemed incongruous with their confusion. During the following hour, they remained in stillness and ruminated on everything that has happened. They recalled Serenus, Gaea and all the characters they've met and all the labyrinths they've gone through. In the memory there was doubt, sadness and an elusive, affectionate longing, much like how a poet remembers a distant and lovely dream that will always capture his moonlit soul.  
  
Eventually, Van yawned - Hitomi had never seen him do so - and stretched out his arms. A wave of relaxation washed over him and he became more suited for the blissful Fanelia in which they found themselves. He picked up Hitomi's hand and led her into the hall. "Come with me."  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
Without a word, Van walked on and proceeded down to that great glass door situated near the world conference room. He noiselessly opened the ornate stained glass entrance, framed with mahogany, and invited Hitomi to enter first. She stepped in and parted the willow curtain that veiled the entrance. A picturesque domain of lush leaves and tender blossoms rushed to her eyes. "My God, Van! This place is so beautiful, I've never been here before."  
  
"It's the arboretum," he closed the doors and gestured for her to walk in further. "Nestor thought we should have some plants inside the castle, so we built this. Mother and Folken would have liked this a lot," he looked up and patted the firm bark of a slender plant. "This is a good tree. Just go in and look around."  
  
Hitomi followed the pebble stone path that meandered in between the shrubs and she occasionally bent down to inhale the fragrance of some glorious flower that seemed content in its small existence. A soothing air blanketed the arboretum and it infused life with a freshness that cleansed the universal fatality. The sound of trickling water came from behind. She turned around and saw Van bent over, with one arm behind his back, watering the plants. She smiled at the sight then asked, "Do you come here often?"  
  
"Whenever I can. I use it for studying or just relaxing. When important visitors come, I usually invite them in. Orion and Merle used to play hide- and-seek in here. They even camped overnight here once. It was adventure of the week." Hitomi laughed. Van tenderly smoothed the surface of some leaves with his thumb and looked up, "Come on, I want to show you something."  
  
They reached the edge of the wooded verdure and entered an open sitting area, where wick chairs and table were settled beside large antique urns and statues. Beyond the area was a full-wall of immaculate glass window that lent the most generous view of the resplendent kingdom. Hitomi stepped forward and covered her mouth in awe. "This place.this view.it's breathtaking, Van."  
  
He grinned, "It is nice, isn't it? But this is not all," he then led her aside to a glass box that was cradled in between two trees. A mystic plant, with no blossom, grew inside it, like a queen on her throne. "This is called amaranth. The ambassador of Asopia gave it to me as a present. It was cultivated by botanical specialists so it's not grown in nature." He lifted the glass lid and caressed the deep green leaves. "This color is special. But that's not the exciting part. See, this plant lasts extremely long, up to three decades. And when it dies, a blood-red flower blooms, that's the real beauty. I can't wait to see it. It truly lives only after its death."  
  
Hitomi tilted her head curiously. "That's so strange. I've never seem a plant like this. A flower that grows from the ashes of its leaves, hmmm.you know, there's a plant called amaranth in a myth on the Mystic Moon. It's also a red blossom and it grows in the underworld where heroes go after death."  
  
"Really? So Gaea and the Mystic Moon do share certain things," Van closed the box and went to sit down by the window. "It's the flower of immortality, I guess. You know, Hitomi, I feel that through everything that's happened, I've lived, died and reborn many times in one lifetime. It's like I'm immortal already."  
  
She knelt down beside him and placed her head on his knee. "I feel so too. We can be immortal together. It's weird though, if you count the days, we've only known each other for five years. That's definitely too short."  
  
He threw his head back and eased into the cushion. "Hey, Hitomi, do you remember when we first met?"  
  
"Yes!" she laughed a little. "I ran into you on the track and you pushed me to the ground," she snarled jokingly. "Then there was that awful dragon, which I saved you from! You didn't even admit I helped you," she glanced up sideways at him and feigned indignation.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, and thank you!" he smiled. "There, I said it. You saved me then, you saved me later and you always will. I saved you too, so we're even. But don't forget, you did slap me that time," he bent over and peered at her.  
  
"Oh my goodness," Hitomi jumped suddenly and fidgeted. "I forgot to tell you! Remember when we first came back from Serenus and I had a private talk with Folken? Guess what he told me? He said that my kiss with Allen on that bridge was completely induced by Dornkirk's machine. This means I was never meant to be with Allen. All the sadness you've endured," she reached up and touched the cheek she slapped so long ago. "I'm so sorry about all that."  
  
Van smiled sheepishly and pulled her onto his lap. "Well, it seems the past is always reforming itself. In a good way, of course. Just wish I had known earlier. I wouldn't have been so stupid then." For a moment, they both looked out as far as the cliffs beyond Fidell. Life bustled all over the peaceful kingdom guarded by the dragons. Van finally said, "I think that this state we're in right now, this present or past, is definitely not heaven. It's a potential past, one we could have lived but didn't. They say we were gone for a color, but for us, we stayed in Serenus for no more than two days. This means there are parts of this past we cannot recall because we never lived them."  
  
Hitomi looked at him attentively then nodded. "You're right. It is a potential past, just like how my fortune telling used to call up one potential fate out of the many unforetold futures. But the strange thing is, there are some things from the two time zones that are the same while other things have changed."  
  
"I know what you mean. I just had a little talk with Nestor. It seems Gaea is in total peace, there are no signs of danger. Basante is dead and his son is now president and he's likely to become Allen's brother-in-law, provided that Princess Eries will give up the convent for him. I'm still triumvir," here he sighed slightly, "Orion is duke which means we made the blood pact before I left. He also discovered his draconian blood already. Then there are the diamond caves, etc."  
  
"This means.the good things have stayed and the bad occurrences we saw in the other past have been erased!"  
  
"Yes, I suppose. This is the ideal past and present. That explains why Escaflowne, the God of War, is no longer needed.I wonder if this really means we'll be free from the blood of war." The last phrase was remembered with a sense of uncertainty but also of triumph that convinced them both that the past is behind them.  
  
They returned to their view and sat together in rumination of this emerald kingdom. They both comprehended that war and suffering are not inevitable. Hitomi closed her eyes and wanted to apprehend Truth with the last visionary power left in her. What she saw was not some apocalyptic scene yet it was the most magnificent of all: she saw the image of her and Van holding a baby in their arms. That is the ultimate Truth. She reopened her eyes and gazed upon the land that will be her home for the rest of her life.  
  
Dornkirk was wrong: destiny is not the fundamental force of the universe. Love is. Love alone creates. ....  
  
At dinner, they celebrated Van's twentieth birthday. Later, a hilarious scene arose over Van's neat table manners in comparison with Orion's and Merle's. Each accused the other of eccentricity, and amusing quarrels broke out. Orion's gregariousness was satisfied, whiled Hitomi received a spectacular insight into daily life at the Fanelian court. Selena even meticulously introduced her to the Gaean dishes that were served. Sulkiness had been chased out of Van, but the timid awkwardness, which Hitomi adores to see in him, remains. Whenever someone praised his leadership, he would make a grimace and fixate on his plate. Upon seeing this, a sense of home that Hitomi had felt estranged from, came back to her and she wanted to cry. Van's shy grin made her want to let out the intermingling of joy and woe, like when the lonely wanderer sets eyes upon home at last.  
  
In the evening, while Van worked with Nestor and Orion on political issues, Hitomi retired to her room and went to bed early. After turning and tossing on the foreign bed, she daintily went out and slipped into Van's bed. After a few hours of revitalizing rest, she heard the cracking of the door, and she peeked one eye open. From the corner of her eye, she spied Van walking in with wet hair and nothing on except a towel around his waist. His feet dragged heavily on the wooden floor and there was a look of stupefied exhaustion on his face. Hitomi wanted to laugh but she restrained and closed her eyes.  
  
When Van entered the bed chamber and saw Hitomi, he halted in surprise. She lay softly asleep, her body curved like a breeze-swept wave on a summer's day. He tiptoed closer and bent over. She was turned towards the open window, outside which the moon rolled stupendously in the vaulting heavens. Van assumed she was fast asleep, so he gently pulled the quilt up higher and tucked her in. Then he stood watching her and celebrated this vision of Hitomi, exactly like how he saw her in the future. He fell asleep sitting on the ground beside her. ....  
  
The following morning, Fanelia saw a trickle of April rain, streaming down to awaken and nourish the dormant soil that slept beneath the wintry wind. Hitomi swung her arm around to the other side of the bed and noticed it was cold. Though the day was young, and the air was damp from the night, Van was already busy.  
  
She stretched and slipped out of bed to put on a jacket. She went over to the washing basin and examined herself in the small mirror. A pallor was evident on her face and it betrayed a discomfort which she had not seen till now. It might have been due to the elusive dream last night. Tears threatened to rush out as she tried to recall the dream: she dreamt her mother came to tell her to be happy with the man she loves. She also said that her little brother is still alive. Hitomi could remember no more. She rubbed her cheeks to get a rosy hue and despite a queasy feeling in her stomach, she went out.  
  
Serenity smoothed over the halls and the laughter of Merle and Vianne were no longer heard in the stillness of morning. Hitomi proceeded slowly down the stairs. But when she approached the guest quarters below, the quiet was broken by a string of conversation taking place adjacent to her. She paused then went closer to the source until she discerned one of the voices as Van's. He talked with a new day's calm but in the speed there was a streak of impatience and anxiety even. Intrigued, Hitomi went up to the door and peeked through the crack accidentally left open.  
  
She saw Van sitting on the edge of a bed, hands on his knees, and mixing his words with intermittent sighs. ".is serious. I suggest you talk to her before going to Freid or doing anything rash. You mustn't let the feelings of your youth get in the way. I hate to see the two of you like this. I know Hitomi's reading was right. You are the right man for her."  
  
The other person, who had been pacing around, then appeared within Hitomi's range of vision. She immediately recognized the long blond hair, tied in the back, and the pensive charm. "Look, she has already expressed her sentiments regarding the issue. My problem is that I don't know if I should just ignore her and go to Chid, and tell him he's not an orphan anymore. You know, when I saw him during the war, so noble.the way he helped us.and I looked into his eyes, I just. But heavens! I can't just ignore what Millerna will say!" Allen suddenly went to the cabinet and took out a bottle of vino. He gulped down a little but Van quickly grabbed it away.  
  
"For crying out loud, Allen, you should calm down. Didn't you use to tell me that? Think clearly. Don't you think you've been through enough with Millerna? You should just talk it over with her and if she agrees, you two should go to Freid together."  
  
"It's just so hard," Allen broke out and disappeared beyond the crack in the door. "She'll think I'm trying to replace our dead child with Chid, or that I want a lingering remembrance of my love with Marlene. It's just so awkward. Maybe she should be with Dryden."  
  
Both men sighed. "You know, Allen, this is so unlike you. You were always the rational one out of the two of us. I know you'll find the right path as you always have. You just have to give her and yourself a chance."  
  
"I just.I suppose you are right, Van. The last time I felt this confused was regarding my father. But now I really don't know about love anymore. I know that Hitomi's reading five years ago said that I'm the right man for Millerna. I love her, I really do, but why is this so hard?"  
  
Nothing else was heard except the opening of the bottle. Hitomi tiptoed away, careful not to creak the floor planks. Anxiety for her two old friends and the sense of guilt she always felt about her Tarot readings, invaded her once again. She wearily went down to the morning room and there encountered Selena talking with Millerna.  
  
Spirited and graceful even in the morning, Selena quickly went over and held Hitomi's hands. "I hope you slept well last night. I know a new bed can feel quite strange, but good thing Van's by your side," Selena glowed with a girlish pink but immediately quieted down to the solemnity befitting a duchess. "I believe the queen wants a few words with you. I'll go check on the kitchen," she bowed her head to Millerna then left the room.  
  
Hitomi took a deep breath and approached the seat at the head of the table. A thin ray of sunlight shot aslant through the window and landed softly on Millerna's delicate face. Hitomi detected beneath the young queen's poise a hint of weariness. Millerna looked up with royal authority and almost superiority, but the few wrinkles between her fair brows betrayed an inner turmoil.  
  
"Well, Hitomi, it seems you and Van have hung on. Of course, it was not so in the beginning. Let's hope things don't get back to the way they were before the destiny war ended. Sit down."  
  
Hitomi looked at her with friendliness despite her subtle animosity. "Millerna, about Allen."  
  
"Don't worry," she held up her pale palm, "I will not ask you to do any more readings. The last has been confusing enough. It is simply the matter about."  
  
"I know.it's about Chid." Before Millerna overcame her shock about Hitomi's knowledge, the latter went on. "I know what you want to speak to me about, and my answer is this: my reading five years ago was right all along, I know it is. The right man for you is Allen, not Dryden or anyone else. And Allen loves you more than he loved Marlene or.me. Is this so hard to believe?" Millerna looked away. "Try to understand his grief, because the pain is yours too. You both lost a child and Marlene."  
  
As a half-present smile appeared on Millerna's face, the door opened and in came the two kings. A frozen moment of indecision reigned. But at last, Hitomi hastily went over and pulled Van outside, forcing the other two to engage in the bonding they've yearned for yet so long avoided. After the doors closed behind them, Hitomi lay her arm on Van's and they strolled down the hall. At first they detected no sounds from the morning room, but there followed a string of incoherent shouts. The angst released, the emotions controlled, and the desired peace eventually came. As Van and Hitomi walked further away, they could still hear the lovely echo of amorous whispers and apologetic reconciliation. What was almost lost was regained, because faith had triumphed over doubt.  
  
That afternoon, the king and queen of Asturia boarded the Crusade, and flew to the dukedom of Freid.  
  
During their absence, Hitomi, Selena, Merle and Vianne spent a day of amusement and discovery in the bazaar by the canal. But Van did not go along. After lunch, he mysteriously whispered something to Orion and the two men proceeded to Van's study. With an uneasiness at once unspeakable and forbidding, Van nevertheless set out to fulfill what he had decided upon in the morning. The brotherhood blood pact which bound him to Orion made it imperative. Over a bottle of vino, Van disclosed everything. He narrated the fantastic adventures from his travels in time, to Serenus and Aleph, to Branimir, Seraphine and Basante. In a few long breaths, he unleashed the ineluctable and drew another person into the abyss of Time.  
  
Orion gaped. Then his eyes blinked and his face became contorted as if in a spasm. Van could not make out exactly what emotions had overcome Orion. He was despaired, frightened, perplexed or insensible. The combination was labyrinthine in itself and Van began to fear that he had made a mistake by telling him such a story.  
  
But suddenly, Orion began laughing. "Oh, goodness! In all the heavens! Van, that happened to us? Oh my! Whoo-hoo! I can't believe it! Even though I can't remember any of it and in a sense, I've never even experienced it, I dare say it's the best adventure of our lives!" He became increasingly vociferous and he clutched Van fervently. "Thank you, my brother!"  
  
"Orion, are you, are you okay?"  
  
"Okay? I've never felt better! Now that's life!" In a burst of energy, he ran onto the balcony, unfurled his white wings that have rarely shone in the sun, and leapt off.  
  
From the bazaar, the girls heard excited yells made in the name of truth. They looked up and saw a shimmering cascade of snowy plumes. Children ran up vivaciously and twirled with their arms wide open. Selena reached out and caught a feather, which she pressed affectionately to her heart.  
  
~ End of Part XI ~ 


	13. Halcyon Days

A full chapter of great happiness! Uhh.I think I wasted all my words on the writing, hehe.Hope you enjoy the story! XII. Halcyon Days  
  
The sun set amid a palette of harmonious past and future. The final faith in everyone's heart is a festive spring in whose fields bloomed the immortal plants. The sky at morning is soft in the glory of a thousand hopes, rich at noon, and now, in the waning sounds of dusk it is bursting forth in holiness. The dark blankets itself in the stars and the universal light assuages everything with tenderness. A great quiet rolls over the kingdom like a wave on Serenus, until all that is left of the twilight is the perfect twain: Fanelia and the Night. Longing became intense and dreams powerful. If a dreamer happened to sing beneath such a sky, the song would not be ascribed to a human being, but to the land itself that sang passionately, urging out the treasures of its profound being.  
  
It was in this Night that Van and Hitomi climbed onto the roof of the castle. In the garden below, Orion was picking flowers for Selena. He cheerfully sang a few lines from "Memory of Fanelia", a song that often colored his solitude: Here's a land where dreams come true, Where dragons fly on high, Where warmth of love will comfort you, And angels sing a lullaby. As Van and Hitomi ascended, the song soared also, and it rang forth as the veritable melody of the starlit land. They settled themselves on the slanted rooftop and sat shoulder against shoulder.  
  
"We owe many things to Orion," Van said when the song became fainter.  
  
"Yes. I think his death in that other past was an essential key. Of course, the other key rests in us," she blushed and Van smiled at her. "You know, I had a revelation. The power of Atlantis is more than the power of wishes. It's the power of Love to create new worlds, to control time even. I think our.physical bond.was a culmination of our Love and that's what made us so strong. I guess it is strange that Escaflowne just disappeared, so did my powers, but.it's really okay."  
  
Van stroked her cheek and in his smile she saw all the answers and affirmation she needed. He pressed her hand on his heart. "Want me to tell you a Fanelian legend?"  
  
"Yeah, I'd love to hear it."  
  
"Okay. A long time ago, before Fanelia was fully developed, she was ruled by a weak king whose heart often wandered aimlessly in loneliness. He was angry at the world which gave him no love and no answers. But one day, a girl dropped down from the moon. She had a peculiar appearance, but an amazing visionary power."  
  
At this moment, Hitomi pounded Van's shoulders and giggled. "Stop it! Stop it! I believed you! I thought it was a real story! You're making fun of me," she glanced at him with girlish defiance.  
  
"Okay! Okay! I was just joking," he laughed. "I haven't done that for a very long time." He drew her into his arms and they settled into a stargazing mood. The night sky sank down and held them like a dream.  
  
Suddenly, Hitomi's eyes widened and she pointed diagonally at the heavens. "Oh my God! It's Orion!"  
  
"What do you mean?" Van glanced down at the garden.  
  
"No, silly! Up there!" she drew Van forward. "See those three stars that are in a line, and there are two stars above the line and two stars below, so that the whole thing looks like an hourglass?" Van squinted his eyes and nodded. "That's the star system called Orion. I can't believe you can see it on Gaea! And it looks the same as it does on Earth. It's the only constellation seen above both planets. That's amazing. It probably looks this way everywhere."  
  
"Fascinating. I'm sure it has a special meaning for Gaeans. I'm afraid I don't know much about it. I didn't even know it was called Orion. What does it mean for the people on the Mystic Moon?"  
  
"Well," Hitomi snuggled up with enthusiasm. "Above Earth, it's the middle constellation that crosses between the northern and southern sky. It's the most conspicuous object in the night sky, so you can use it as a guide to find other stars." Her eyes gazed upward with a palmer's faith and awe. "Oh yes, when I was studying in Egypt, you know, that really ancient kingdom I told you about, I learned that the Egyptians made the pyramids, these huge triangular structures, in alignment with the three belt stars of Orion. The ancient kings of Egypt drew the power of birth and death from Orion. It's said to be the ruling constellation of Osiris, god of the dead and king of the gods. That's why all kings go to Orion after their death."  
  
"Think I'll go there when I die?" Van asked with a grin.  
  
"I'll go with you. See that reddish spot, a little below the belt and above the two bottom stars?" Van nodded. "That's the Orion Nebula, the birthplace of worlds to come. We'll go there, the place where stars are born." An auspicious serenity entered them both, as if Hitomi's words were uttered as prophecy.  
  
"The birthplace of worlds to come." Van repeated the phrase with certain veneration and desire.  
  
"You know, the word 'Orion' originally meant the union of three," Hitomi continued softly. "Isn't that coincidental? In the country where I came from, Orion is very important. We call it Mitsu Boshi, the three belt stars. They're the symbol of new beginning. My mother used to sing this ditty to us, 'When Mitsu Boshi are one fathom high, it's time to go to bed,' " a tremor broke into her voice. " 'When Mitsu Boshi are in the middle, it's the middle of winter. And when Mitsu Boshi lay, it's.it's time to wake up."  
  
Van held her tighter as if inviting a release of tears. However, she talked on with the same ardent nostalgia for the discoveries and dreams of the Mystic Moon. "You know, Van, stars are the parents of planets. There must be a star in order to have a solar system like ours," she paused for a moment, "Stars depend on the conflicting forces of gravity and pressure, like how we have fate and free will. If there is balance between the two forces, there is security. Hopefully, that's the way with us."  
  
He looked down at her fingers. "We have reached a balance for now. Fanelia may be the home we've always dreamt of. But.I don't know, can fate and time really disappear completely?"  
  
She wondered at the stars as if imploring for an answer. "I.did you know that the starlight is from the past?" Van looked unconvinced. "No, I'm serious. We're looking back into time right now, because the light left those stars aeons before Gaea was even created. We can never know what the stars look like at this exact moment, because the image of what they look like now must travel millions of years before it reaches us. Of course, we won't be here to see it. So you see, time is fundamental. And as to fate, well, even the sun has a fate, let alone us. Millions of years from now, our sun will dim, grow cold and eventually, it'll become a massive diamond."  
  
"A diamond? Like this one?" Van reached into his pocket and took out an exquisite little black box.  
  
"What." Hitomi looked at him first and then beheld a magnificent green jewel cradled in his palm. "Oh my goodness! Is this." she touched it reverently. "A green diamond?"  
  
"Orion dug it out of the Nerya caves. The color matches your eyes and Fanelia.where I hope you'll remain," she suddenly saw that faithful purity in his countenance and felt promises in his limbs. "Hitomi, however long we may live, be it eternity or just a few years, let's live it together," an unbearable redness dyed his face into the color of his shirt.  
  
After one steady gaze at him, Hitomi bent over and began sobbing. In her muffles, he could barely discern the words, "You proposed."  
  
"Hitomi, what's wrong? Does this not make you happy? I'm sorry I can't kneel here because I'll fall. But I thought you'd like a proposal beneath the stars. Last time in the prison was not exactly what you had in mind, I know. Or is it perhaps.because you don't want to marry me.Do you?"  
  
She suddenly swung up and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, yes, yes, a thousand yes!" Such passion and abruptness in Hitomi startled Van a bit. "I'm so sorry, I don't know why I cried. I've just felt so emotional lately and I couldn't hold it in," she fell dramatically into his embrace. "Oh, Van, how could you ever doubt I would say yes. I don't care where you propose," she now regained control and tranquility. "I have already resolved to make Fanelia my home for the rest of my life."  
  
"R-really?"  
  
She sat up straight, and imagined Van at that moment to have regressed back to the angry child who received excessive sorrow and so little love. But that tragedy, and all others, must end this night, because henceforth, no amount of hell can destroy Love's pristine creation, made at the dawn of the universe itself. She held out her hand. Van gingerly slipped the green gem onto her finger.  
  
Though Hitomi's initial reaction had surprised him, Van could imagined it no other way. She is the great balance of all things. She justifies his entire being to life and death. She animates the world with a beautiful soul.  
  
They sat arm in arm, and their eyes together entered the stars. The Mystic Moon newly hung over the Fanelian cliffs. An immaculate symbol of constancy, it never waxes or wanes. It is the single circle of purity amid the black, at once a haunting phantom and an ever present god. But beneath its wan, full periphery there existed a windy world of many tempests.  
  
"I think the war on Earth, I mean.the Mystic Moon, has ended," Hitomi said quietly. "I just have a feeling. This way Yukari and Jason can be safe. It looks so peaceful from here, doesn't it?"  
  
"Perhaps time was turned back on the Mystic Moon as well, so maybe the war never occurred," Van looked up with hope.  
  
"No, you don't understand. Even if time were turned back, war would still be there, because our entire history is written in human blood. Only the dead have seen the end of war. It stops now only momentarily and it will start again, perhaps even more severely." Though she spoke of the dark truth, her voice was steady and her face majestic. Van acknowledged in her a courage he himself had never known. "Paradise is the state of nature for Serenus, as chaos is for Earth. It isn't so much fate as it is human cruelty and stupidity. People just can't see. As a result, they ruin themselves and others. There's something worse than death, and it's death- in-life."  
  
"I think that exists on Gaea as well. It's a part of humanity, I guess. Sometimes it's as if love isn't there at all."  
  
"But it is," she gave him a sad look, "It's just.hard to see sometimes. You know, I think I dreamt of my mother last night. She told me to be happy with you. She also said my little brother is still alive."  
  
"W-what?"  
  
"Don't worry, I'm not going to leave you. I know he'll be alright. He's almost fifteen now, he can take care of himself. I had not expected this. Our parents will watch over us. Perhaps one day, I'll return to the Mystic Moon, just to visit. I should like to see what he looks like when he grows up."  
  
"Hitomi, I." Van appeared remorseful. "I know what it's like to lose a brother, so if you want to be with him, I."  
  
"No, Van," she smoothed her palm over his chest. "Calm down. I want to stay here with you, always. Besides, I haven't lost my brother. I know I will see him again, just as I've come to you again. It's all in the missing."  
  
Suddenly a birdsong drifted out of the sky and interrupted their thoughts. Van looked up and pointed, "Look, two white halcyon birds in the night. It's just like what we saw in Freid." The winged creatures encircled each other and formed an orbit in the shape of the infinity sign. Their starry flight and soothing melody inspired in Van and Hitomi a profound vision of an infinite future: children singing, perilous adventures, eternal woes eternally consoled, and a home they will always know.  
  
All words were dissolved and all storms mollified. They sat together for another hour or so, until the night grew chilly. Hitomi inched closer to Van and placed a hand on his thigh.  
  
"Hitomi, w-what are you doing?" he straightened his back uneasily. "Are you feeling weird again? Um.do you, do you need the healer? I'll um, go wake him up, okay?"  
  
"No, I'm fine. Maybe it's just that my body feels kind of different."  
  
"O-oh?"  
  
"Let's not talk of war and the universe anymore. It'll all come to pass. Do you want a massage?" There was an unfamiliar affection in her tone.  
  
"A m.oh, one of those! No!"  
  
"Are you sure? You seem so tense," she tightened her grip. "Van, about that other night in the prison."  
  
"Okay," he pushed her hand off his thigh and moved away a bit. He cleared his throat, "Um.yes, I.I hope I.did not hurt you or anything."  
  
"Are you kidding?" she slid over and nearly climbed on top of him. "It was the most amazing night of my life. If only every night can be like that. Let's go to your room now."  
  
Van gaped in astonishment. "Like that.every, every.night? R-right now?" He attributed her wild behavior to the inexplicable vicissitude of her emotions, for the Hitomi he knew would not act so otherwise. He smiled in embarrassment and stood up. They cautiously got to the top of the roof and walked along the ridge until they reached a large branch that overhung the roof and blocked further progression. Van placed one foot on the branch and made sure it was steady before he leapt up. He held out his hand for Hitomi and pulled her up. They continued their semi-perilous journey by walking on the branch. Eventually, they reached a large tree house cradled securely amid the foliage and masculine branches.  
  
Van jumped onto the balcony and helped her up. "This is the tree house Orion and I built for Merle. I haven't been here for a long time." He opened the door and went inside. "Good, there's no moldy smell." He opened all the windows and swiped a finger across the sill. "A bit dusty though, plus there's no bed, only some cushions and quilt. Do you mind?"  
  
She made no reply. Van turned and saw her standing by the window, looking at the spring leaves that hung just outside. The night wind ran its tender fingers through the foliage just as Van caressed Hitomi's hair. The whole landscape, with its curves of swaying grass and blossoms, moved with the zephyr, until the earth seemed no longer solid, but was softened under the wind's touch and became rivers flowing into the ocean. It was the illimitable ocean of Love and its feathery waves were like the almost tiptoeing softness of wind on the meadows. The low, singing rustling and Aeolian movements set the heart beating with formidable passion. But soon, the susurrus of the leaves was washed over by the sounds of lovers in the rippling night.  
  
In the celestial sky above, the constellation of Orion blazed stupendously. It was the aperture opening into Love's creation. It enwrapped, under its wings of trinity, past-present-future, not three separate time zones, but one single entity of time, the half-luminous periphery that outlines the circle of Eternity. Space and time are replaced by the pulsations of Love. In Orion's center lives the birthplace of worlds to come. ....  
  
Hitomi awoke to the refreshing scent of the meadows and the discomfort of the hard wooden floor against her skin. She glanced aside and saw Van still soundly asleep. For once, his brows were not locked. His eyelids trembled and she smiled upon thinking that he was engaged in aerial adventures of an enchanted dreamland. The sunlight, a little beyond dawn, was scattered by the leaves and fell exquisitely on Van's bare body. She ran her fingers down his torso which consisted of soft dunes, valleys and unseen depths.  
  
Van was awakened by her touch. "Hey, you're up already? I'm so tired."  
  
"It's morning. I want to figure out what part of your body I find the most intriguing."  
  
"Okay," he grinned sheepishly. "What part is that?"  
  
"Let's see," she turned him over and looked around. "Ah, here, the shoulder blades," she encircled one with her finger. "I don't know, I just find this bone so beautiful. Besides, it's where the wings come out, right? Do you think our children will have wings?"  
  
"Probably. I take after my mother. Of course, we'll figure it out when we actually have a baby. Now, let me see what part of you I like best," he sat up. "If I said I liked your legs or your face I'd be too conventional, now wouldn't I? So.I think your hands are really poetic. Yeah.your fingers are long and pale, and see, your thumb is oval, kind of sharp at the top, while mine's fat and dull. Everyone's hands are unique I suppose."  
  
"My grandma said my sharp thumb means I'm psychic."  
  
"I see," he pressed her hand against his warm heart. "They're like sculptures."  
  
"Van, how come you have so many little scars?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. I guess you can call them battle scars. This one here," he pointed to his right shoulder, "You saw how I got this one from the Firean soldier. The lash marks on my back are from that time we snuck into the Zaibach energist mine at the dragon's graveyard, remember? All the other little cuts are from all sorts of places. C'mon, let's go get some breakfast," he got up energetically. They slipped into their clothes and descended from the treetop by going down a slide.  
  
A wooden veranda, standing since Van's birth, was nested in the back of the castle garden, next to the little pond. This picturesque arcadia used to be Folken and Van's favorite haunt. Hitomi was asked to sit in the veranda while Van went to bring some food. As she observed, she was reminded of the Japanese garden her mother used to keep, and the Garden Stellifer of Serenus. Both had an air of tranquility and philosophy that attempts to compose, with botanical symbols, a model of the universe. Compared to the awe-inspiring grandeur of alpine scenery, this garden demurely elicits the soul into a gradual enlightenment.  
  
Van returned shortly, with an armful of fruits that he dumped onto the ground.  
  
"What are these, Van?"  
  
"They're piscus."  
  
Hitomi suddenly laughed out loud. "I remember! The sour fruit from Asturia! You gave them to me when we were in that mill. Not these again! They taste weird," she stuck out her tongue.  
  
"C'mon, they're good for the body. Drink the juice and eat the soft parts. They help give you freshness for the rest of the day," he handed one to her.  
  
"O-kay, I'll try," Hitomi sighed submissively and cracked one open. A heavy odor of sourness flew out. She felt sick first but the repulsion was slight. As she pulled the fruit closer, an irrepressible nausea attacked. She dropped the fruit and ran out to bury her head in a shrub. However, she did not feel much better after vomiting. The queasy feeling she had detected the previous morning was intensified three folds.  
  
"Hitomi! Hitomi! What's wrong?" Van ran over frantically and supported her by the arms.  
  
"It's.I don't know. I just feel really weird. It's been like this for a few days. It's probably nothing."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me? How can it be nothing? It looks serious. You're obviously ill. We have to go see the healer, right now! You must not jeopardize your health. If it weren't for the smell of the piscus, we might have discovered your sickness too late. Let's go!" he reached forth, ready to carry her.  
  
She pushed his arms away. "Don't make a big deal out of this, Van! I'm fine. I get nauseous sometimes, everyone does. I just hate that smell. Look, I can walk by myself," she gestured for Van to step aside and she walked forward.  
  
She staggered a few feet on solid ground, then she stopped. She felt the earth under her feet seemed to waver. The wind blowing the grass had dissolved the land into a stream, flowing pass her, splashing against her legs. Soon, she had the illusion that the earth was rising beside her. The water eventually came above her head and her consciousness was engulfed.  
  
The second when Hitomi fainted backward, Van caught her and after a few desperate cries, he picked her up and sped into the castle. The court healer, a short and hunch-backed old man, was immediately summoned to Hitomi's room. Orion, Selena and the others gathered in the hall while the alarmingly distraught Van knelt by the bed, holding her hand.  
  
The wise doctor exhibited a professional calm and nodded as he felt Hitomi's pulse. Afterwards, he placed a small drop of liquid into her mouth and again nodded reassuringly. But Van was not reassured at all. As soon as the doctor stood up, Van pulled him aside.  
  
"So, what is it? How serious is the illness? Is she going to be okay?"  
  
"You need not worry, Your Majesty." the healer smiled warmly.  
  
"What do you mean by."  
  
He suddenly picked up Van's hand and shook it. "Congratulations, King Van! The lady is not ill. She is with child! It's been almost a color!"  
  
After hearing these words, all stopped for Van. His mind entered a tunnel that sped towards a new life. All that remained of his body were two incredulous yet sparkling eyes and an open mouth.  
  
The doctor continued without noticing. "I've given her a few drops of crystal juice. It will help with the nausea and make things safer for the baby. She should wake up very shortly. Here, I have some herbs," he held up a sachet and looked up to see the king's dazed expression. "Your Majesty? Your Majesty?" he peered up curiously.  
  
"Huh?" Van snapped back into focus. "Go on,"  
  
"The herbs," he dangled the sachet to make sure Van saw it. "they must be cooked to make a soup which the lady must drink three times a day. She must not be in the sun too long. Don't let her carry heavy things or get too tired. No rigorous exercise. Give her anything she wants to eat so long as it is not unhealthy. I will tell all this again to Duchess Selena perhaps?" Van nodded dumbly. "Yes, she can help. I will come check on the lady tomorrow. We will talk some more later," he picked up his medicine bag and patted Van's shoulder, "There is nothing to worry about, Milord. By the way, the baby should be due in the beginning of the next lunar year." The old man nodded then wobbled out. He bowed reverently to the people outside but revealed no news to them.  
  
Orion peeked in and called repeatedly to Van before the latter blinked and twitched his hand. Van walked out like a person who had just woken up from a long sleep. "Orion, Selena," he waved at everyone else, "It's um.Hitomi is fine. The healer said she's.Why don't you guys go about your own business? When she wakes up, we'll go see you."  
  
"But what." Orion stepped forth, curious to know more.  
  
"Just go!" Van pushed him back and impatiently waved everyone away. Merle whined, Selena asked gently, but eventually they left, glancing back uncertainly as they walked down the hall.  
  
When Van made sure everyone had gone, he hurried in and carried Hitomi to his room. He cautiously made sure she was warm and comfortable. Then he searched his drawers for a candle which he lit and placed on the bed stand. Even though it was bright daylight outside, the phoenix glow of the steadfast candle was a life-giving force. He observed the flame and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting.  
  
Gradually, Hitomi emerged from the waters of her sudden sleep and found herself on the dry homeliness of Van's bed. The nausea was gone but exhaustion still needed cure. "Van, what did."  
  
"Shh." he quickly silenced her. "It's okay. The healer said you'll be fine. Want me to tell you a story?"  
  
"It's not another joke is it?"  
  
"No, no," he grinned. "I swear it's not. This is a Fanelian legend, a real one. My father used to tell it to us," he clasped her hands within his. "Near the beginning of Gaea's history, there were clans in Asopia which killed dragons as a way of proving themselves more powerful than nature. One day, a young poet named Valorick came to Asopia and saw the fate of the dragons. He thought they were creatures of the great sky goddess. He wept for them and burned their corpses. From the ashes of the dragons, a golden arrow was born. Valorick picked it out of the flame and shot it into the sky. The arrow pierced a star and magical light sprinkled down to restore life to the dead dragons. In joy, Valorick sang out his poems. The dragons listened to him and followed him to a new land where they may live safely. They came here. Valorick built Fanelia, which is why the dragons guard this valley. Of course, later on, the respect for dragons diminished with the subsequent kings' dragon slaying rites. But the memory of Valorick remains with the people. I heard them say the name of Valorick means 'Dreamer of Dragons' Soul'."  
  
"What." Hitomi fluttered her lashes in agitation that impended joy. "That's a beautiful legend, but.what are you saying? Valorick.isn't that the name of." she sat up to wait for his answer.  
  
An irresistible smile of bliss flashed across Van's face, no longer in shock or disbelief. He made no reply to her in words. With one hand that quivered at the gates of heaven, he softly touched her stomach. At once, the climatic apprehension of the one Truth returned to Hitomi. A tear slid down her cheek.  
  
"Oh, my goodness, Van! Is it true? But how can it be, it's only been a few days?"  
  
"No, dear, remember the time zones?"  
  
"Ah, yes, so it's been.nearly a month?" she looked down and tried to see the new life that dawned within her own body. "Oh, Van, he's our baby," she laid a hand on top of Van's. "Valorick.my courageous little dreamer," the last phrase was painted with her first blossom of maternal love.  
  
"I can't believe I'm going to become a father! I'm going to be the father of a little baby, isn't that the most amazing thing?" he rapturously picked Hitomi up and spun her around in the air. It was the dance of mirth. Together they weave the aerial whirlpool of the mystic future and in their spinning and their smiles, there waved the ocean of Love, into which a thousand streams of life poured.  
  
After Van put her down, he knelt by her as if he were the new child. She patted his head and asked, "Will you love me even when I'm fat and ugly?" Van looked up blankly and tilted his head. Hitomi understood and pinched his nose, "Okay, okay, I know you would! I won't doubt you again! And you know that I'll love you even if you looked like Dornkirk, right?"  
  
"R-really?" Van sniggered. "But let's hope that never happens."  
  
An interval of contemplation followed the laughter, and Hitomi at last said," I think now we can understand our own parents better."  
  
"I know.of course, we'll always be with our children. I wouldn't want them to suffer what we've been through. I can't be so callous with death anymore. I mean, I've been more careful since you came,"  
  
"Not careful enough, dear," she pulled him onto the bed.  
  
"Hitomi," he suddenly became serious. "I promise I will try my best to protect you and the children from any more wars. Folken wanted to see a world of peace with me, and now I want that same peace for my family. I swear."  
  
"It's okay, Van," she interrupted him with a kiss, "I know. We will have peace but first you must be at ease," she lay him down. "I will be here to protect them as well. Our little Valorick is fortunate to be born in such a time of beauty, don't you think?"  
  
Van smiled with his eyes closed. Hitomi released herself from further thought and cuddled up next to him. The fact that a new life was beating inside her made Van love even more the feeling of her body pressed against his own. Hitomi fell asleep only to wake up after an hour, then to get tired again. They casually talked of their wedding and their family. Van would get up sporadically to pace and mutter about the details of the wedding ceremony, the food, the cradle, then he would rush to write down any new concerns or ideas. In such plumed spirits, they passed the afternoon.  
  
About two hours before dinner, a gentle knock came. Van quickly adjusted his shirt and walked into his study to open the door. Selena, all dressed up in an elegant gown, appeared like an incarnation of a goddess. She came in and apologized for her intrusion. "I have but one short question, Van. Orion has asked me to look for a painting of his which he has lost for some time. But you know how his room is, it is exceedingly difficult to find anything. I was just wondering if you have seen it anywhere. He said it was a picture of the starry sky."  
  
"No," he glanced at Hitomi. "It's probably among his stuff. But a painting shouldn't be that hard to find. Did he say it was important?"  
  
"Yes, but I can't see why," she frowned. "He specifically said that I must find it before dinner tonight. I really don't understand the urgency. He's off with his soldiers right now, and he'll expect the painting when he returns from archery practice."  
  
"Don't worry about it. Even if you don't find it, he won't get mad."  
  
"Okay then.Right, I've been meaning to ask," she walked over to the bed chamber. "Hitomi, how are you feeling?"  
  
Before Hitomi answered, Van stepped in front of Selena. "Um, yes.uh, Hitomi is doing fine, but she needs rest right now," he turned Selena around and guided her out.  
  
"But, Van."  
  
"It's okay. We'll tell you at dinner."  
  
"Oh, alright," she kept peeking towards the bed. "You take care of her then, and I'll go look for that painting. By the way, my brother and Millerna are coming back with Chid tonight. Hopefully, we'll see them at dinner," her face glowed temporarily upon remembering her brother's regained happiness. But after Van closed the door, she was once again drawn back to the elusive lost painting.  
  
She walked down the hall, wringing her hands. In the opalescent faith for her love, she could not even think of being mad at Orion for sending her on this ridiculous hunt. There was only devotion and determination in her heart. Once again, she entered Orion's disorderly room and cleaned as she searched. By the end of the hour, dust had been woven into her ringlets and imprinted onto the rosy dress she had planned to wear to dinner. Tired and annoyed, she lay down on Orion's mattress and stared insipidly at the trees painted on the walls.  
  
Just as her mind stepped on the threshold of dormancy, an approaching whistle woke her up. Orion appeared in the doorway and skipped in suavely and knelt down before her. He aspired to the voice of a tenor and sang a ballad to her in Poetics. But Selena only said indifferently, "I couldn't find it."  
  
"That's okay, love," he wiped the dust off her face. "At least you cleaned my room with your pretty dress."  
  
She punched him on the shoulder. "That's not funny! Is the picture really important to you?"  
  
"I'd say it's important to you as well."  
  
"To me? What do you mean?"  
  
Orion stood up and looked pass her as if not hearing her question. "Were the curtains closed the whole day?"  
  
"Y-yes. You told me to close them in the afternoon because you said the sun's too hot today. I've left the door open to let air in. Why do you even ask?"  
  
"Get up and draw the curtains."  
  
"What?" she looked at him wildly. "Stop this nonsense, Orion."  
  
"It's not nonsense," he pulled her off the mattress. "Just go. You'll see."  
  
She hesitated but at last decided not to walk away in anger. Orion stood as she went over and parted the curtains. An astonishing sight of singular magnificence was unveiled. She saw before her a painting the size of the entire window, gleaming as if it really were the landscape of night. The painted Mystic Moon, hanging above the grand peaks, gathered a celestial ring of stars around its white orb. Art equals, though not surpasses, the splendor of the real natural scene.  
  
Selena gasped in adoration. "This looks so real! So ethereal! But you knew it was here all along?" she gave him a sharp glance.  
  
Orion came up and held her from behind. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But wait a second, okay?" he then whispered into her perfumed hair, "Do you see that big star next to the moon? It's the evening star. Look closer."  
  
She looked at him suspiciously then scrutinized the star. She realized that it was painted differently from the others. It appeared three- dimensional somehow, almost as if it were capable of flying out of the painting and sparkling beside its observer. Curiously, Selena touched the star - indeed it was solid, and its tip protruded from the canvas while the rest of it was embedded in the picture. She pulled on it a little. It fell out of the canvas and landed on her palm.  
  
"It's a, it's a.gem," she faltered, "A ring?"  
  
Orion embraced her. "It's a Fanelian diamond. But if you look closer, there are bits of gold floating inside. The gold dust makes it seem contaminated, but it's actually this imperfection of nature that makes this diamond more precious than the others. Hey, do you like this view of the starry night?" he tilted her head up so she gazed straight at the painting. "I feel I can look at this view forever. Would you like to." then he uttered the eternal words, "Would you watch this view with me.every night for the rest of our lives?"  
  
A paralyzing ice froze over time itself. But Selena did turn around eventually, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She took out the Twin Souls card from her pocket and placed it into his hand. Without a hint of doubt or sadness, she said decisively, "Sei tu corai ansias."  
  
As Orion rushed forth to embrace her, his knees nearly failed him. Such utopian happiness felt fragile so he held her tenderly. He did not even dare kiss her, fearing his kiss, at such a culminating moment, would be perishable. But the embrace itself was enough. It presented the image of wedded souls, who unlock the melodies of each other's hearts, and clothe themselves with the inner mists.  
  
~ End of Part XII ~  
  
  
  
Right now, you must be thinking AWWWWWW!!!!! Well, I hope you are! Ah.can't you just see it - the starry sky, the soothing voice, the comforting arms, ah.Darn, how come that can't be my own love life?!!!! Anyhow, if you want to make a comment, you know what to do ^_^  
  
Note: You probably know this already - halcyons days mean the days of peace before the storm. In Ovid's Metamorphosis, halcyon birds are symbols of love. 


	14. Tears of Time

XIII. The Tears of Time  
  
But a voice  
  
Is wanting, the deep truth is imageless;  
For what would it avail to bid thee gaze  
On the revolving world? What to bid speak  
Fate, Time, Occasion, Chance and Change? To these  
All things are subject but Eternal Love.  
  
P. B. Shelley, "Prometheus Unbound"  
  
When Allen and Millerna arrived with Chid, who planned to spend a few vacation days in Fanelia, the rest of the company had already assembled in the dining hall. Hitomi was well enough to come, and as soon as everyone settled into their seats, her and Van announced the good news. The entire room rejoiced for the coming wedding and the royal child. Orion and Selena heightened the happy evening by announcing their engagement. Nestor made it his honor to post the news to the citizens the following morning.  
  
But Orion was the more exalted. He stood on a chair and tapped his shoes to create a lively tune as he exclaimed, "Van laughed! Van laughed!" The long delayed laughter which he has longed to hear has finally come. It reassured him that his dearest friend has found the complete life. When Van spoke of his baby, his smile was not insincere, and his voice did not camouflage unseen pain. Orion knew immediately that the vision of Eros he once received about Van and Hitomi, is infinitely fulfilled.  
  
Just as everyone bloomed in the discussion of the joint wedding, a messenger entered apologetically and whispered something to the king. Van listened and his smile vanished; a mystery descended upon his mirth. "A pillar of light?" he said austerely, and everyone froze. "How can that be? Take us to the spot at once!" He sprung up and threw down his napkin.  
  
On the way to the site, Van did not utter one word of explanation, but just looked towards the forest beyond Fidell. This light, which had so long been a god and scourge to Van, threatened to shatter his present peace, so he approached it as if facing an old enemy, vengeful lest it should snatch Hitomi away again. The explaining was left to the messenger: about an hour ago, some guards at the gate saw a pillar of light land in the woods. It seemed to be carrying an object.  
  
When they reached the forest edge, everyone got off the carriage and horses. They walked a little before the sound of a wailing cry became distinct. "It's a baby!" someone yelled. After groping around and following the sound, they came upon the object the pillar brought. The men held their torches next to the thing and affirmed that it was a cradle with a baby inside.  
  
"Take a look, Van," Orion shouted above the child's cries. "There's some sort of message around his neck!"  
  
Van jerked at the tag somewhat harshly. Millerna ran up and pushed everyone's hands away. "You men! Be careful with a little child! Anyways, what does the message say?"  
  
"Don't know," Van replied. "It's not written in our language."  
  
Everyone automatically turned to Hitomi. She bent down and saw the words by the firelight. The message was written in haste, but translated into at least ten terrestrial languages. "Oh my goodness, this baby is from the Mystic Moon!" murmurs arose. She waited for Millerna to lull baby, then she read the part written in Japanese. "Okay, it says, 'To the kind person who discovers this cradle: may God forgive our cruelty in leaving a child out in the wilderness to battle nature and chance! But we have on choice: the war has gotten so bad, and being forced to escape as refugees, we cannot take him with us. He probably has a better chance of surviving in the woods than in the hands of an enemy soldier. Therefore, merciful benefactor, please find it in your heart to take care of him and love him as your own. His name is." Hitomi's startled eyes glanced up at Van. "Amadis."  
  
Millerna lovingly took the baby and Allen went to her side. They seemed to have an affinity with the strange infant that dropped out of space and time. Perhaps it is just that this baby bore a fleeting reminder of their dead child.  
  
Van looked at them with an emptiness that could almost be considered acrimonious. Orion caught his eyes and nodded to him but Van only evaded the hint. Orion knew about Amadis from Van's story, but he also knew what it was like to be abandoned by one's parents. No sin of an adult's tainted life should leave its karmic punishment to an innocent little soul. Not even Van could justify the unfairness.  
  
Allen and Millerna held the baby with the affectionate arms of young parents. "Van," Millerna called out to him. "I know this is a hasty decision, but we've come to a conclusion anyways. Let us take care of him. We'll raise him as the prince of Asturia. See, his hair and eyes both resemble Allen's. What a coincidence! Someday, he'll even become the king. What better fate for the poor child!"  
  
Van walked away without a word or gesture. He got on his horse and left alone. Hitomi apologized for his behavior and tried to ease the awkward ambience he created. But Millerna took the baby anyhow. Everyone gathered in her room and they soon forgot themselves as they delighted in taking care of the young and unfortunate little life. After being washed, fed, and healed, Amadis was soon kicking and smiling like a healthy boy. Everyone crowded in front of the cradle and made clown faces, to which he excitedly clapped his chubby little hands.  
  
Hitomi stole away from the crowd and went to Van's room, where she found him at his desk. She slammed the door shut. "Van, what is the matter with you? He is an abandoned baby! Do you think it's better that we leave him in the woods to die? He's an orphan. Surely you of all people know what that's like!"  
  
"He is not an orphan!" Van stood up and pointed out the door. "Need I remind you that Amadis is Branimir's son? He's probably here to seek revenge. It was as if Branimir raped Seraphine! And this baby is the result! He cannot become the king of Asturia! How can I let the child of such a dangerous character be near my friends and family?"  
  
"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe the name Amadis is just quite popular? It's probably just a coincidence."  
  
"Oh, come on! After all that's happened, do you honestly think there could be so great a coincidence? The entire process of him landing in Fanelia is just too strange. I cannot dismiss this as mere chance."  
  
"I thought you didn't believe in fate, Van," she said coldly, and he was silenced. "Besides, if you want someone to blame, then blame yourself. It was you who left Seraphine to Branimir!"  
  
"What?" Van glared irately then went to the bed chamber and buried his head beneath his pillow.  
  
"Don't be such a child, Van!" she pursued him. "You may hate Branimir, but don't hate Seraphine." Hitomi sat down beside him and suddenly spoke softly. "She reincarnated because she wanted to see Amadis. She loves him just as I love our son. I know you understand. Don't forget, that night in the prison, Seraphine saved us. Don't you think we owe her at least this much?"  
  
Van still did not acquiesce. Hitomi blew out the candle and lay down beside him. Darkling, she heard his labored breathing and uncertain heart. "You have reason for your doubt, I know. But I also know there is much love in your heart. You must learn to let go of hate and fear. You still have not done that completely. Let Allen and Millerna use love to purge Amadis of his father's dark history. Seraphine will be smiling in heaven." She said no more. Even though Van slept with his back towards her, she felt basked in his love. There is no iceberg that would not be thawed by his beautiful soul.  
  
The following morning, Van woke up with a new courage. He conceded to the truth that he had always known. Happiness for Amadis meant peace for the already departed Seraphine. He hurried down to the guest quarters to give his two friends a belated blessing. Though Millerna did not really need Van's approval, she was relieved to know of his understanding. The orphaned child, elusively transported from the Mystic Moon, would henceforth be known as Amadis Leon Schezar, Crown Prince of Asturia, Duke of Palas and, through his fraternal relations with Chid, the Count of Godashim.  
  
Van had always been complacent regarding his own learning. But this knowledge of love which he learned from everyone around him, gave him a colossal sense of wealth that surpasses the price of kingdoms. He realized that all of them are orphans, but through the conflagration of the adventures that brought them together, they've earned a new family. This bond is beyond blood, even needless of it. It flows as water does, though thinner than blood, but ever swifter and clearer, rushing forth in torrential speed, irrigating the earth, filling the ocean. The water of the world is never lost but rotates through the many systems. Eventually, two streams will return to the confluence and there, love will merge again.  
  
Van roused Hitomi up with the aromatic smell of the herbal soup he personally cooked for her. She was overjoyed to learn that her faith in his goodness had not been in vain. The grudge of the preceding night was deliquesced, and they continued their affectionate jokes and laughter.  
  
The day was spent in concoction for the joint wedding of the two young couples. Because Millerna would be busy with the baby, and Hitomi's physical condition would be unfit for strenuous planning, Selena volunteered to lead the management team. The two grooms and two brides rested beneath the shade of the veranda. Their exuberant voices were accompanied by the birdsongs and the murmurings of the water.  
  
As the time wore away, they deviated from the main topic and blithely conversed on numerous subjects. They celebrated youth, love, life, the sky and Fanelia. Each remark was encapsulated in an aura of bliss and fervent expectation of the future. To see joy and ease on the faces of dear ones was promise enough for each of them. While Van and Orion went away to bring food, the two girls would hold hands and giggle about their young men, and dream of their wedding.  
  
In the dazzling sunlight, the Fanelian sky enjoyed a day of cerulean decked with cirrus clouds that trailed like wings of the white dragon, which vanished from Gaea yet still existed in the empyrean. Even near sunset, there was a chromatic brilliance around everything. Orion and Selena chose to go see Amadis. Van thought it an apt hour to take Hitomi to the royal tombs.  
  
He had planned to introduce his future wife formally to his parents. But upon the exhilarating thought of Hitomi being his wife, his face shaded to carmine. Then he remembered that he even got her pregnant before the wedding. In all humility and shame, he knelt before the marble tombs with closed eyes and talked to his parents as one would pray to God. He enfolded Hitomi's palms within his and raised all four pilgrim-like hands in devotion upward to heaven. Van was absorbed in the prayer, and the plumed movements of the sacred dell kindled his heart.  
  
But soon, he noticed the change in the atmosphere. The dell was becalmed - all wind, all sounds, ceased. Just before he resolved to stand up and look about, Hitomi gently tugged on his shirt. He opened his eyes and nearly toppled over the sight: his family, materialized into life, stood in front of him.  
  
King Goau and Queen Varie appeared in the halo of eternal life. A little behind them, stood Folken. They spoke not a word and simply smiled at the young twain. Van and Hitomi supported each other by the arms. He ventured to address them in order to verify their strange presence. "Mother, Father, brother, I.I assume that this is not like my travel to the past, and that you've come here, from the other world, to see us."  
  
"But we see you every moment, my dear son," Varie's piano-like voice tolled to Van. Imprisoned tears caused him to quiver. But then his mother came over - she did not exactly tread on the ground but brushed over it aerially - and opened her arms like some saint who has come to redeem the hurt. After some uncertainty, Van finally collapsed into the maternal embrace and wept as he had fifteen years ago. "There, there." she lifted up his bangs and kissed his forehead. "It's okay, my son. You must be strong. We know you can overcome what we in our lives could not. That is why you are our pride and hope."  
  
"Mother, please.this make me ashamed of myself. I am not as great as you suppose. I don't want to disappoint you."  
  
"But it isn't about greatness," his father spoke now, holy with his voice of thunder mist. "Van, being a good king is about wisdom and courage, both of which you have, among many other qualities. Your challenge lies in retaining the light even when darkness should reign."  
  
"I understand, Father."  
  
"Van," Varie secured him by the shoulders. "Remember, your will still guides Gaea to her future. And don't fret, I've never favored Folken above you. You both are my life and blood."  
  
At this point, Varie suddenly turned to Hitomi who had been silent hitherto. Varie reached out her hand. Hitomi had expected her tone to be scornful as before, and her touch to be icy as a spirit. But the warmth of Varie's hand felt airy yet human somehow, and her words were kind. "Hitomi, please take care of my son. I know that I did not trust your decisions five years ago because I feared your heart was full of uncertainty. But now I see that you have found the balance within," she then placed Hitomi's hand in Van's. "Love each other. The whole universe exists in this. Never cease such cherishing."  
  
After a kiss on Van's cheek, Varie and Goau backed away. "Hitomi," Goau addressed her, "Your parents are happy in the afterlife. So let your heart rest. We will watch over you and we will protect Gaea from afar."  
  
As soon as there was an infinitesimal thought in Van's mind of letting his parents go, they disappeared. But Folken remained where he was. He did not break the silence, but just looked at them. In his pellucid eyes, they comprehended that it is not evanescence which pervades the ephemeral world, but rather that there is a veil cast over all that is transcendent and endless. Such visitations from the shadowy dead is an unveiling of the mist which obscures the sensory realm from the eternal one.  
  
Folken smiled. It was just a casual smile that one brother would give to another every night before going to bed. When Van smiled back, Folken was already gone.  
  
Death survives, but so does life. Death becomes an assurance of man's continuity, the periods of humanity in his existence. It is a part of life, another dimension, another starting point for the same state of being. Death has no form and is boundless, but it nevertheless forms, with chance and mutability, the black circumference, the definite outline, of Eternity.  
  
Van and Hitomi continued to look at the consecrated tombs. But they noticed that the wind did not resume its trail. Van turned around with a start and called out to the air. "You're there, aren't you, Aleph? Come out!" To Hitomi's surprise, the silver beard and snowy robe gradually became visible. Aleph stood every inch like a sagacious elder. The august holiness and severity he displayed on Serenus was replaced with a yielding kindness, like a grandfather.  
  
Hitomi was the first to accost him. "Aleph, have you come to draw the final mark?"  
  
"But there is no final mark, my child. It is never over. As you said, even the sun has a fate."  
  
Van disliked his ominous tone. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Any explanation I have to give you will be a mundane repetition of what you already know. I've come to show you that I've been here all along, and of course, I wanted to give you my blessings for your baby."  
  
"Thank you then, but.can you please give us some kind of reassurance, so we know that the conclusions we came to by ourselves are not wrong?" Hitomi asked.  
  
Aleph winked at her. "If you must have it, dear, then I shall tell you," he kept his hands behind his back and paced as if giving a lecture on morality. "As you've experienced, in that other potential past, Love and Freya, the Anima Mundi, transformed time and space. You have evoked their power, the true power of Atlantis."  
  
"If this is the ideal past, then does it mean we'll have the ideal future?" Van interrupted with the vital question.  
  
Aleph paused and patted Van's shoulder. "Don't forget, it is never over. As you know, most parts of the universe is cyclic, an endless process of separating and uniting, eternal death and eternal rebirth."  
  
"But Love." Van and Hitomi nearly called out simultaneously.  
  
"Ah, yes," Aleph raised a finger authoritatively. "Eternal Love cancels the cyclic futurity ruled by fate. Yes, it is true that you two have attained the transcendent force given by the Anima Mundi. There is you, but then, there is the rest of the universe," he glanced at them and Hitomi cast her eyes down. "Don't forget, just because you two are protected under the wings of Love, does not mean everyone else is also. I cannot tell you the reason. All I say is this, before you learn all the answers, you must help us bring forth the greater Love. Spread the Atlantis within. Teach your children to do the same."  
  
"I understand," Hitomi said, "Personal love must expand to universal Love. That is what is eternal. We are but a part of it."  
  
"Hitomi," Aleph touched her cheek, "My Iris, windows to the soul, I." to their amazement, even Aleph could find words insufficient. The Truth is beyond language. What the Anime Mundi taught them is imageless. The goddess herself is pure revelation, burning through what seems to hide her. She has no analogue in the world of senses, but she is undoubtedly a living presence, felt as surely as wind is felt.  
  
Aleph walked away from them and into the trees. Before his departure, he turned and said, "By the way, Van, Valorick is a good name for the baby."  
  
Nature once again infused the dell. The wind whistled and the birds sang. Van held Hitomi the same way he did five years ago, when they stood on the same spot. But back then they embraced for farewell, whereas now they prepared to hold each other in endless union.  
  
Hitomi nudged her head against Van's chest. "You know, I really don't care about the unsolved mysteries right now."  
  
"Me neither. But there is one thing I just thought of. Remember in the past life, after I died, Orion created Serenus with the help of a woman who claimed to have known me? Well, I think that woman was you."  
  
"That's strange, I was just thinking about that too. Perhaps it was me. But even if I never know the truth, it's okay. I'm happy just being here. It was so good to see your parents, and Folken again. And even Aleph seemed so nice." She backed away and pulled his arms, swinging them in the air. "Before, home was always elsewhere for me. When I first came to Gaea, I thought home was on Earth. But when I was there, all I could think of was Fanelia and you. But now, for the first time, home is exactly where I am, at this moment, with you. Now I never have to miss some place so painfully. The concept of home is really the feeling have when I'm with you."  
  
Van's crescent smile dissipated all his confusion. He went forth, picked Hitomi up and kissed her, with the same passion and freshness as when their lips first met in the crystal rain of Serenus. They held the Atlantis within, along with all the wisdom acquired during their perils, but all that receded for now, and they held only each other. Standing at the heart of the empyrean, their kiss reminded the world of an augury of Love, portending the permanence of an uncovered reality.  
....  
  
Even in the twelve-winded evening, the translucent sky diffused light. In times of loneliness and melancholy, we would think that the darkness is absolute, that it alone is durable. But in Reality, the dark itself is spurious, continually modified by the stars and the glares of day that seeped from the other side of the world. This light illumines our sky, and the sky that overarches this sky, and the one beyond.a boundless series of celestial domes. If this infinity took a physical form, it might be us, human beings whose very existence lend a glimpse into the stars, of which we are the fair and foul progeny. We share in the constants of the universe. Some things in us are necessarily absolute, not relative with time or chance.  
  
Van and Hitomi walked into the ballroom, in their new formal attire, and saw infinity contained in their loved ones. The two kings had ordered a celebration of the numerous joys. Van was the last to enter, and he commenced the festivities by saying the simple truth, "Even if war should occur in the outside world, this inner peace is ours." He waved his hand and the band struck up the music.  
  
There was a trio of violin, viola, and cello, accompanied by flutes and a piano. Hitomi thought if Love could have a sound, this is exactly what it would sound like. Melodious like the harmony of an angel choir, and soothing like the breeze plashed across the face. Its image is not the downward motion of "falling in love", but the upward ascent of "soaring with Love."  
  
The ballroom was enlivened with laughter and exalted words. Orion ran around chasing Merle and Vianne, pumping into the waiters, while Selena tried to stop them like an anxious mother. Allen and Millerna were fully concentrated on their beautiful son, who babbled in baby talk. Duke Chid sat in the corner with Nestor, and the two found much philosophical topics to discuss. Other ladies and lords, some soldiers and the crew of the Crusade, all mingled in the crowd. Couples filled the dance floor, and children flocked to the food plates.  
  
Van and Hitomi made their way through the people who incessantly gave them blessings and congratulations. They crossed the room and went onto the balcony. A view of the constellation of Orion hung mystically near the orb that is Hitomi's old home. Van called Nestor outside and asked him what that constellation is called on Gaea.  
  
The old advisor took off his spectacles and gazed studiously into the sky. "Ah, yes, Your Majesty, the three belt stars. Yes, we call it the 'Tears of Time'. You see, the whole constellation looks like an hour glass, and the belt in the middle represents the passage of time. The three stars separately are called Past, Present and Future. Quite intriguing. There is a myth behind this but I cannot recall it at this moment. If you'd like, Milord, I can go research right now."  
  
"That won't be necessary, Nestor. Thank you. You can go enjoy the party now." The old man bowed and smiled at the formidable young king whom he loved as his own grandson. He then hurried back to Duke Chid.  
  
"The 'Tears of Time'.I like that." Van wrapped his arms around Hitomi's entire waist.  
  
"It sounds so hopeful," she leaned on him securely. She held out her hand and admired the ring. "I love this green, it's so soothing. They say the universe is green too, you know."  
  
"Really? Like your eyes? Like Fanelia?"  
  
She pinched his cheek. "Yes, silly boy."  
  
They ruminated on the view, and let the zephyr sweep all dust from the path of their starry vision. White petals were blown from some April blossom, and Hitomi reached out her palm to received the pieces of snow. The rustling of trees which Van so loves was there also, and it heralded that time is crying.  
  
The sound of happiness came from the ballroom behind them. They also heard the intensified sound of the mysteries of past and future. But that too, would be behind them. Death is in the air, but not fear and sorrow, because a compromise had been made between destiny and Love.  
  
Ever since Dornkirk, Van and Hitomi had ceased to believe in predetermined fate. Their Love rises above fate or destiny. To say there is a predetermined lover is to bargain with God for inevitable happiness. But they did not need a prearranged meeting with Eros - they can see him directly. Destiny is a thing for mortals without immortality, and thus true Love has nothing to do with it. Destiny is imprisoned by time, because it places Love within a specific point in life when two pairs of enamored eyes meet across the room. People say that life begins then. But the truth is, Love should always have existed, it does not begin on one fine day. It is wrong to say Hitomi journeyed through many loves before she reached Van, because her soul never really left him. She dreamt of Love and did not know she was dreaming of him. But once she had the revelation of Love, the vision of Eros, she begins and ends in him, as he does in her. Their Love just is. It is the ultimate "to be", with no sequence, no bounds. It is not so much Eternity in a moment as it is a moment in Eternity.  
  
Van suddenly bent down and placed an ear against Hitomi's stomach.  
  
"What are you doing?" she laughed. "The baby's only a month old. You won't be able to hear anything."  
  
"No, wait.I think I hear him. He sounds like.like the sky, or like the fluttering of wings," Van kissed his unborn child. "In here is a world we've created."  
  
Van could not deny the lingering fear in his heart that Valorick may grow up and one day face war and pain. But he holds a pillar-strong faith that even if tragedy comes again, they can surmount it again. Hope exists despite fulfillment.  
  
The background music from the ballroom played in symphonic unison with the wind, announcing wisdom attained, Love regained. Favonius, god of the west wind, led an Aeolian parade that came to Fanelia, and lined up in front of the castle, forming a passage to infinity. The Aeolian spirits looked upon the king and queen as if upon Eros and Psyche. Van and Hitomi dreamt of a greater Love, a Love more mysterious and immense than their own empyrean existence. The music ceased for a second, and they saw the whispering gust that carried away trains of snow petals up towards the birthplace of worlds to come.  
  
~ End of Part XIII & Book One: Gaea Regained ~  
  
~ Beginning of Book Two: Gaea Rising ~  
  
AHHHHH! Can't believe I finished it!!!!! I know, I know this chapter was a little dull, but I wrote it for my own indulgence (some parts of it are autobiographical). Sorry for the slackening of BRI writing - I'm currently working under poor conditions, but I tried my best. Yep, I'm bound to get some bad reviews;( But anyways, I really enjoyed giving Van and Hitomi the ending they deserve - of course, this is only book one, so the real ending is different. After writing this, I totally feel this sense of loss, the same thing I felt when I watched the last episode of the series *weep* I really hope you will tune in to "Interlude: Book of Aeons", which has a bunch of letters and diaries written by the characters themselves. About Book Two, a huge part of the story line is pretty vague, so I have to wait. If you're really anxious, then I thank you and apologize before hand. I have to see if Book One does well on fanfic.net, if not, then I guess it's bye-bye. Of course, if I have the story, I will still continue writing for my few devoted fans. At this midway point in "Both are Infinite", I take a bow to you, dear Reader, for traveling this exciting journey with me! The story has meant my life to me during these past months, and you made it possible for me to write, so thank you;)  
  
Notes and Points of Interest: As far as I know, all the astronomical references in the last 3 chapters are scientifically correct. Of course some are only theoretical. For example, the thing about the universe being green is currently only a speculation. Some scientists did a spectral scan of the universe from the beginning till now and realized that it was once blue, now green and it will someday be red (because of decreasing temperature). The whole thing about starlight coming from the past sounds incredible, but it is very real. There's a lot more cool stuff like this, if you're interested, check up some site on Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Btw, everything about Orion and the Egyptians is true. The main questions left unanswered are: the dragon and phoenix; the prophecy Hitomi read from the scroll Aleph gave her (from Ch.5), and Hitomi's role in Van's past. I think these three are the only unsolved mysteries. If I've forgotten any, please tell me right away. Of course, all the riddles will be unraveled in Book Two! 


	15. Interlude: Book of Aeons The Starlight ...

Hello! Once again, thanks for coming this far with me! The following section is a series of letters, diaries (and others) written by the characters themselves, and it covers the span of 15 years (please take notice of the year numbers in ADW - I've calculated everything carefully), and offers new ideas for Book Two. I've divided the Interlude into 2 parts, and this is just the first. Read on and see how you like it.  
  
Interlude: Book of Aeons  
I. The Starlight Scroll  
  
When White arrives in the matter of the Great Work, Life has conquered Death; the King is resuscitated, Earth and Water have become Air; it is the domain of the Moon. Their child is born.then Matter achieves such a degree of fixity that Fire can no longer destroy it. Dom J. Pernety  
  
Hitomi's Dairy Yellow, 15th Moon (May 15th), 5 ADW I am still not used to the Fanelian calendar, and even this new diary feels unfamiliar beneath my hands. Though I've been here for two months already, I cannot help but feel a lingering nostalgia for that place called the Mystic Moon, which for me will always be Earth. Of course, I can't let Van know I have such feelings, because he'll be either sad or anxious. I wonder if little brother is all right. But Fanelia is my home now, and weird as this is for me, I am Fanelia's queen. Gaea is now my home.  
  
Right now, it is already midnight, and Van has fallen asleep. But I snuck up and must take this chance to write about today because there will never be another day like it. Today was my wedding day, the one I have - no, we have, always dreamt of. Selena had planned the whole thing, though I helped with small details like the flowers. Millerna and the seamstresses from Asturia brought us our dresses yesterday. They are not like the white dresses we wear on Earth, but they have a nice mixture of blue, gold, and white, kind of like what I saw Varie wearing. We had golden hair accessories, and we wore our rings of course. I like Selena's ring as much as my own. Van and Orion wore samurai-like attire, except less fierce-looking, maybe a bit like what Van wore when he was crowned king. Van gave me the pendant so I can wear it during the ceremony, but I will give it back to him tomorrow. It had been his since the past life.  
  
Today itself has not been the busy succession of things that I thought a wedding would be. It was very simple, so there aren't a lot of details to reflect on. The most precious memory is perhaps the mood, and the atmosphere. I can't recall ever being this excited or happy, like being in a dream and waking up to find it's real. And I've never seen Van this way, like a little boy on Christmas Eve. I could hardly recognize him.  
  
In the morning, when the weather was fairest, Orion and Selena, Van and I, got prepared and went down to the castle garden. We've invited only our most intimate friends, most of whom we've met during the war. I wish mom was here to dress me and dad can walk me down the isle and put my hand in Van's. But dad's not here. I just walked down the isle with Van and we proceeded to the veranda where there was a priest-like figure whom they call the Sage. Merle sprinkled white and pink petals all over the place, and in the summer light, everything was beautiful. The Gaean wedding ceremony is not that different from the ones I've seen back home, except they pray to different gods. Also, instead of exchanging rings, a piece is cut off the bride's gem. My green diamond is now a neat crescent, and the other half, which completes the circle, is fixed onto Van's ring. A special craftsman comes to do the cutting and fixing of the rings. At the end of the vows, we had to kneel on the ground facing each other, and the Sage placed our hands together and announced us man and wife. That was the moment I felt I will now be entirely Van's and he is completely mine. Now we have spiritual, emotional, physical, and matrimonial bond. I become girlishly exhilarated when I think of myself as Mrs. Fanel. This happiness will take some getting used to.  
  
After us, Orion and Selena went up to the veranda/altar. Allen gave Selena away. Orion could hardly stop himself from laughing out loud. I assumed it was because he was overjoyed at being able to marry the girl he loves. But Van whispered to me that Orion was not so much excited about the ceremony as he was about his wedding night. How very characteristic of our dear Orion! Selena was perfect as always. It is very difficult to imagine how she once was the frightening Dilandau. When Orion and Selena were finally wed, the relatives and friends applauded happily for the second time. Afterwards, we all went into the castle ballroom, where lords, ladies, ambassadors and world leaders were waiting to congratulate us. It was the first time I met President Menulf of Zaibach; he seemed to be the opposite of Dornkirk. As a gift, he gave us Zaibach's newest invention, an electronic device that shows pictures and sounds, it is close to what we would call a T.V. He plans to make it a popular possession in every Gaean household, as I'm sure it will be, since it was so on Earth. If they ever invent the computer, I should find that very useful. I also met the bizarre looking Etolian ambassador, the famous philosopher named Oneseme. Van respected him very much, and I was intrigued by his tall, white, alien appearance, as well as by his brilliant philosophy.  
  
During the lunch party, Van and I stepped aside and opened the presents everyone gave us. There were a lot of household items and baby clothes. Merle gave us two golden birds, kind of like canaries, which Van plans to put in the arboretum. She also gave us two trumpeter swans, which will live in the pond by the veranda. Dryden gave me his entire collection of ancient texts on Gaean mythology and archaeology. I'm so thrilled, because I think these books will help me understand Gaea's classic history the way I understood Earth's. Orion and Selena gave us a wonderful wooden cradle for the baby, and a white mare for me. I will learn to ride someday. In return, Van and I have given to them the entire upper west wing of the castle. This way, we can live together with our families. I especially like the present Chid gave us - a large painting of Van and I holding each other. The gift from Allen and Millerna was probably the most original. Allen commissioned the top three composers of Asturia to write symphonic scores for us. The songs were performed live by an orchestra that set up in the garden. We all went there for the concert, around sunset. The first song was called "Eyes", and Allen said it was written for me, though I think I'm not half as lovely as the melody. The second one was "Romance", and its beauty celebrates Love itself. The third was called "Story of Escaflowne", the one that Allen said is about all of our adventures. Of all the music I've heard in my life, I think this is the only one that genuinely reminds me of the sky, of wings and flying. It suits Van, and it should be "our song". However, Allen insisted that the next song, called "Tree of Hearts" was meant especially to celebrate our love. The melody is so beautiful, yet sad somehow, so I guess in this sense Allen is right, it is a lot like us. The present was indescribable. Allen gave the music scores to the court musicians of Fanelia, so we can hear the songs whenever we want. I should like to hear them at least once a day.  
  
Before we sat down for this concert at sunset, we went for a tour of Fanelia in the afternoon. A lot of the lords and ladies went in their carriages and followed us. I looked out the window and saw the citizens waving to us. Fanelia seems like such a prosperous and happy place. We followed the canal and went through Palladium then up to Fidell where we dropped Merle and Vianne off at the school. Van visited the children as well as the patients in the hospital nearby. Everyone addressed him reverently as "Your Majesty", but they also said the same to me. I was very startled. The prospect of being queen has not fully entered my mind. When I was little, I would never have dreamed that the man I will marry is a king! But seeing how busy Van is with country affairs, I know I have much to learn, so I can help lessen his burden.  
  
After the concert and dinner, we said farewell to our guests, and retired early to our rooms. Orion was aching to get back to his room with Selena.  
  
Van and I fell asleep almost right away. Lately, I've been exceptionally tired all the time. It's probably due to the baby. He grows inside me faster and stronger everyday, and the belly is becoming more visible. As others say of pregnant women, I get really strange cravings so I eat endlessly. I'm not thin like I used to be, and I'll probably get bigger still. But thankfully, Van doesn't seem to mind. He's the same with me as before, and I can't express how grateful I am. Although mom isn't here to help me go through all the difficulties of pregnancy, Van is more than helpful. He's so studious when it comes to the details of my diet, exercise etc., and he learns from the healer everything there is to know about having a baby. He seems more worried than I am. The one thing I'm afraid of is perhaps the pain during labor, but Van says he'll stay by my side when the time comes. His tenderness sometimes makes me want to pinch myself to make sure I'm alive. On our wedding day, I think it's appropriate to reminisce how our relationship has developed. I remember how I spited him in the beginning, how I was too blind to see my own heart. What use were those visionary powers anyways if they could not help me see the truth? But right after I realized everything, we had to part. Looking back now, it was the most arbitrary and painful decision I ever made, but it was right. I think at that point in my life, I needed time and space away from Van so I could think clearly and grow up as I live my life with my own decisions. Van also needed the separation because I think he needed to believe in himself without me there saying I believe in him. He needed to reconstruct Fanelia with his own powers. We grew up and learned things by ourselves in our separate lives and we developed until we could connect fully again. The love that could not be completely realized before, is finally fulfilled. We've lost many things along the way: Van lost Escaflowne which he always relied on for strength, and I lost my family and my powers. Without the old shelters to protect us, our lives will be very different. But we have each other. In the end, God is probably fair. It's funny how everything started on that fateful day when I asked the cards if I would ever find true love. And here he is.  
  
The day is long over now, and it's very silent. My hand is aching, and I think the candlelight is stirring Van. He looks so peaceful when he sleeps. He snores sometimes and it's so cute. I love the feeling of being able to call myself his wife, and crawl back into his arms and fall asleep. It's this feeling that tells me I'm home at last. Hitomi Kanzaki de Fanel  
  
Orion's Letter to Van and Hitomi, during his honeymoon Orange, 30th Moon, 5 ADW Van, Hitomi, and whoever dares to read a letter addressed to the king (that's right, I'm talking about you Merle!), I'm good. Selena's fine. How are you? Fields of Asopia very pretty. Got the relics Hitomi requested. Stayed in small towns. Poet wrote us a poem. Not much to do on honeymoon except sex. In Freid right now. Will stay with Chid for another color or so.  
  
Today is Merle's birthday. Happy birthday. Got you a present.  
  
Good news: point of letter: Selena's pregnant. Can't express excitement in letter, but am happy, really, really happy. See, Van Fanel, I'm as good as you are! If child is boy, we name it Endymion. If girl, Encia, after Selena's mom. Selena must rest in Freid now. Will be home in time for my birthday on Red, 4th Moon, and Selena's on 8th Moon, so you better prepare something nice. Must sleep now. Yours, Orion  
  
Announcement to citizens of Fanelia and the Gaean Council On Emerald, 1st Moon, the first dawn of the Year of the Aurorean Wings, 6 ADW, Queen Hitomi Kanzaki de Fanel Gave birth to His Royal Highness Prince Valorick Folken Vangelus Goau Orion de Fanel, Crown Prince of all Fanelia, Duke of Fidell, and First born child of King Van Slanzar de Fanel.  
  
Van's message to Nestor Nestor, This is a list of the tasks for this week. You've worked too hard lately, so you tend to forget: Take out about one million gidaru per color from the royal family living fee, and distribute it among the poor and ill. I want to end poverty for my people. Hitomi has agreed to live a simple life with me. The remaining money should be enough for us and the baby. Don't forget - you can't tell the council. Arrange a meeting with President Menulf to discuss the insurrectionary movements in northern Zaibach. Tell him I will go see him. Hitomi picked a wedding present for Princess Eries and President Cornelius of Basram. Write a card (I'll sign it) and send the gift. Get someone to remove the new statues from the Japanese garden. There can be nothing gigantic like that. Just shrubs, stones, bamboos and water. It's supposed to be serene. Ask Dryden to explain. He said people of the Mystic Moon call it Zen. And make sure Hitomi does not see or hear about the garden. Remember, it's meant to be a surprise for her birthday. Van F.  
  
Van's card to Allen Green, 18th Moon, 6 ADW Dear Allen, This is an invitation to the first birthday gathering of Valorick and Endymion. Being born on Rose, 15th Moon, Endy is but two colors younger than Val, so we've decided to have a joint celebration on the first day of the next lunar year. I understand that Millerna is born in the last color of the year, as is Hitomi, so we can all celebrate together, if it pleases you. We look forward to seeing you, Millerna and Amadis. I've sent a separate invitation to Freid. Yours truly, Van S. de Fanel  
  
Selena's letter to Orion Purple, 6th Moon, 8 ADW My dearest Love, Without you by my side, I am like a soul who has lost its way to heaven. Though we may not have despaired at our farewell two weeks ago, I cannot bear this separation, especially since our son is still so young. Of course, you will return shortly, but right now, you are far away. However, I should not wish otherwise, because Van entrusted you to this diplomatic mission, so you should accomplish it at all costs. You are the most suitable spokesperson for Van's ideals. Be kind to the poor in those unfortunate countries, show them the Orion we all love so that they may fully understand Van's vision of the One Gaea. I have every faith that the long hoped for happiness will arrive for everyone else as it has for us. This "Atlantis Within" that Van and Hitomi speak of, do you suppose it really exists? I believe it does, but its image wavers and tortures us with a sense of inconstancy. When you return, all shall be well again, and I won't be troubled by such thoughts.  
  
During your absence, I feel I have much less to do. In the mornings, I go riding with Hitomi as usual. We go up to Fidell where we help out at the hospital, and we sometimes have lunch with Merle at the school. Endy walks steadier everyday and he spends most of the time playing with Val, and sometimes Vianne also. In the afternoons, I take care of them, as Van and Hitomi have to handle country affairs. Our days are spent in such ease.  
  
Endy calls "dada" more often now, perhaps showing how much he misses you. He still has not been able to build the little blocks like you taught him. Seeing our splendid child in front of me now, I understand the true life-force of our love. A wide gulf yawns between those distant days of loneliness and the present days of festive bliss. You made all this possible. You were the gentle wind that finally blew away the shadows of Zaibach. And here I repay you with my love and our child. And here I wait for you. Do you ever wonder how we arrived at this paradise? Can it be that our will was so strong and so creative that we became like the grass bending in the wind? The "potential past" which Van and Hitomi claim to have experienced, seems so full of insurmountable perils that I marvel at how we ever survived. It seems we've all breathed spring into the winter and walked out of time, into eternity. For a twilight moment, I was sure that war, evil and sadness have all become distant legends. But now, seeing our son so precious and fragile, and you so far away, I begin doubting: can this happiness really last? After all, we live in life and reality, not in a fairy tale. I fear for all of us. We've all endured too much from life and death. I feel the universe must owe us something, should it not pay? Forgive my dramatic emotions - this is the first time we've been separated since our marriage.  
  
On a more casual note, Dryden has finally moved to Fanelia (the diamond industry cannot do without him), but he has chosen his own house near the market where he can do business. Being sufficiently close to the castle, he comes for dinner almost everyday. Merle is doing wonderful in the school, and as we've all foreseen, Vianne brings her boundless joy. They too, miss you lovingly. I know that Van has written to you, so there is no need for me to inform you of his state. However, I'm sure he has not reminded you that the 17th Moon is Lord Folken's birthday. I'm uncertain whether Van will have a memorial, but even if he doesn't, you should be back by then anyhow. Furthermore, brother has been waiting for us to spend a weekend in Palas. Please take care of yourself, love. Don't forget to brush your teeth every night, and finish the rice cakes I packed for you. May the dragons always soar by your side. With a kiss in thought, Selena  
  
Hitomi's Diary Yellow, 15th Moon, 9 ADW Four years ago today, Van and I were united in eternal matrimony. And now, our little Val is already three years old, and our family, which we once thought we'd never have, is more together than ever. The passage of these four years has been like the blooming of a May flower, and the wind always blows so softly. Life has been the real adventure, and I feel so grown-up. In fact, I'm only 24. But physical youth is irrelevant, for as long as Van's here, time cannot age me.  
  
As we've always done on our anniversaries (I wish we also had anniversaries for the exact day we met or the day we reunited on Serenus, but unfortunately we cannot recall the dates), we would give each other the surprise present near sunset. I loved the ribbon spectacle he gave me last year, but this year's present is even more original and perhaps relates to us more personally. Just before sunset, when all the golden, lilac and rose oblique rays illuminated the castle, Van told me to close my eyes and he led me to a room. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the arboretum, but among the trees and flowers there were beautiful heaps of snow feathers. The whole room was blanched with white softness, and tears swelled up as I suddenly remembered all the memories of feathers. Van has struck the heart and I love him all the more; he knew that the white feather symbolizes for me purity, hope, beauty, freedom, dreams.and all good things. I laughed and asked him if these were his feathers, but he replied it's molting season for our swans. He said there are exactly 1000 feathers in total. We went into the arboretum and ran around amid the feathers, then we sat by the huge windows and watched the sunset. It was then that I gave him my present, not the one I planned but the one that occurred serendipitously. Right after I told him I'm pregnant, he lifted me up and nearly sang the name 'Hermione'. It seems he's been expecting the arrival of our little girl. Plus, he has already seen what she will be like: vivacious, adorable, a princess and a dream. Van began talking about all the preparations again , and he wants to be in the delivery room just like last time. I remember when Val was born, I endured 24 hours of labor, and the thought of going through it again scares me. But Van is equally nervous. In the delivery room three years ago, he nearly fainted when he saw how I screamed and bled. It's rather funny now that I think of it - the ever so calm and courageous king frightened by the arrival of a baby. I also remember when I paid so much attention to baby Val, Van actually got jealous, thinking I didn't care about him as much anymore. Silly boy! I love to see him like that. This time with Hermione, we both will have had experience, so the process would not be as chaotic, though my pain and hardship will be the same. But it's all worth it. This little life growing inside me is the second child of Van and I, the living proof of our love. When I carry his child, all life and love become intensified, and I'm grateful for everything.  
  
I'm strangely exhausted now, perhaps due to the pregnancy. Tomorrow I will collect the feathers into glass boxes. Van has just tucked Val into bed, and is now calling me. May it be four more years, four more decades, for Eternity. Hitomi  
  
Yukari's Diary Today is the fifth memorial of Hitomi's death. I wish to be back in Kamakura right now, so I can retrace our childhood steps and run on the track, pretending that Hitomi is running with me. Maybe her brother and the remaining relatives are holding a memorial service, I don't know. I still dream of her as I always have, and tears would wet my pillow. But I cannot remember her voice anymore. When people leave us, it's their voices that go first. In the end, only the image of Hitomi in our old school uniform will remain - she would be smiling, her eyes would always be green, and then she'd run ahead and turn back to wave goodbye to me. I often wonder what that pillar of light through her plane was - they never solved the mystery. Hitomi sometimes talked of the far side of the moon, where there's a planet with dragons, chivalric adventures and a handsome young king who is her mystic love. I used to laugh and call her a silly romantic. But now, I wish all that were true. Hitomi, my very best friend, I say one last prayer for you: I pray that the mysterious light carried you to a beautiful world where you now live with your children and the man you love.  
  
This research will end in two weeks and I will fly from London to Cairo again. This does not give me much time to think about Jason's proposal. I know my initial doubt, but frankly, why on Earth not? We've known each other for seven years, and perhaps he sees a bit of the Hitomi he loves, in me. Yukari  
  
9. Van's Address to the Gaean Alliance (on the 10th anniversary of the end of the war) "This afternoon, as I was on my daily afternoon walk in the area around the castle, I came across an old man kneeling by the side of the road. My first guess was that he is a beggar, so I went over with much compassion and concern. But when I got closer, I observed that he was using colored grains to piece together the flags of many countries. I asked why and he replied thus: 'Today is the 10th anniversary of the end of the Destiny War. I form mosaics of the flags of the Valasian countries which fought in the war. I will later light a bonfire and pray.' He stopped suddenly and returned to his mosaic. Before I walked off, I noticed that Zaibach's flag was among the many. So you see, this good old man demonstrates a wisdom that has taken us so much pain to learn: peace. People often say that only the dead have seen the end of war. Perhaps. It is true that life itself images a chaotic succession of battles, and we are all like soldiers forced to endure pain and fear. We may have lost battles, but no, we have not lost the war, because here we are right now: the Gaean Alliance. Valasia, Asopia, Etolia and Asgard - brothers to brothers, Gaeans to Gaeans, each other's in life and death. President Menulf of Zaibach is our friend and ally. The chivalric spirit of the invincible knight must live in all of us. That is the true power that Atlantis has bequeathed to us. Strip away our weapons, our treasures, our systems, and it will still live on. Must we hate and kill and die? No - this past decade has proved that suffering is not necessary and that even the living may enjoy peace. Of course, Gaea is far from perfect, I know. Poverty, intrigues, riots still occur, but all these make it more essential that we stand together and strive for the greater. Our world is weary of a dark past, so let it rest. Our most fervent longing is for happiness, a thing most difficult to earn. Nevertheless, we should not give in to fate, which relentlessly tries to climb above our heads. On this memorial day, in the Year of the Moonlit Iris, 10 ADW, let us set a resolve to form the most beautiful mosaic of Gaea, with her four glorious continents!"  
  
10. Excerpt from Dryden's third novel, Escaflyon Chapter IV: "The Moonlit Iris" He is as a master of life who has arched the castle halls, one quiet yet strong, who builds the garden in the image of his beloved and carves the columns according to the pattern of life. He is the suspended roof resting on sturdy posts, and sheltering the family below. With a creators' hands, the young king bends down to pick up the baby princess.  
  
If the ocean were colored brown, it would look like her hair, fawn tresses just like her mother's. The autumnal softness of her hazel-sienna eyes images the colored zephyr. Being born just a few days ago, on Purple, 10th Moon, 10 ADW, Princess Hermione finds comfort in the cradle of her father's arms. She coos and cuddles, and a rare, charming smile brightens the king's face.  
  
The four-year-old Prince Valorick, a steady and quiet boy like his father, came up and touched his sister's rosy cheek. "Daddy, what does her name mean?"  
  
"Hermione?" Van held up her little hand and waved it in the air. "Well, it means winter flower, or the fiery red blossom in the snow."  
  
Valorick stuffed a candy into his mouth, and tilted his head curiously. "Was I like this when I was little?"  
  
Van laughed and tousled his son's palm-tree-like hair. "You were much more restless. Your mom and I hardly had anytime to sleep, because we were so busy taking care of you! C'mon, your mommy is calling you. Let's go see how she's doing!"  
  
"She's not calling me!' the prince turned to the royal chamber and frowned. "I want to go play with Endy!" As Val was ready to skip off, his father grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him into the room.  
  
With one arm holding his daughter, and the other arm guiding his son, Van slowly approached the bed, where Hitomi was still resting. Her eyes looked up, exhausted but glistening like a dawn. She reached out and held her new child, the new beginning to a new family. Van and Valorick gathered around the bed, and from that moment on, the unshakable affinity of the family was established. Hermione became the feathery but steadfast pedestal of the family, and in her light, all anger and sorrow would bow.  
  
An Etolian painter named Gereon, who, through an association with Queen Eries of Basram, came to Fanelia to see the famed princess, and captured the brilliance of her bright-eyed beauty on her second birthday. He has painted Hermione as she sat on her mother's lap, the two of them gazing at each other. Gereon had taken masterly care to delineate the resemblance between the mother and daughter, and to shed a mood of ethereal peace on the loving scene. But though the queen was portrayed with undying youth and grace, most of the light was cast on the little princess, majestic in her irresistible charm. There was something in the pastel colors that suggested a coyness in Hermione, yet at the same time, her eyes glowed with such fire as if she was struggling not to flutter her eyelashes as she often does in real life. The painting is set in the arboretum, with ferny foliage, cream and red blossoms to the right of Hitomi. Light brown bark from a young tree protrudes into the left of the picture and blends gently with Hermione's brown curls.  
  
It seems that ever since Hermione's birth, she diffused an air of youth, and as a result, her parents inhaled this air and seem not to have aged a day. Hitomi has kept her short hair, and even while she wears queenly attire, the hopeful and young Hitomi who saved Gaea from Dornkirk, could be seen. She will always give someone the feeling of forth-coming. When she is with her children, her laughter and playfulness make her indistinguishable from the young. She would stick out her tongue, pout or run around, forgetting all duty and status. However, in silence or solitude, Hitomi is the epitome of majesty. Though she has lost her visionary powers and Tarot cards, there will always be something of the seer in her. She has retained the white light of the Mystic Moon, and nothing can destroy that aura. Her deep, steady gazes are ever so prophetic.  
  
While Gereon was in Fanelia, he took the chance to paint the now renowned portrait of King Van. Sitting on the ground of the throne room, with his back leaning against the throne, one arm placed casually on the knee, Gereon's Van displays authority tempered with his own carefree and fiery character. Van's other arm supports the body, and is placed on the seat of the throne, with his graceful hand dangling down. Gereon has shown him in a three-quarter profile, looking on some distant point. Van's red shirt had been painted slightly darker for the effect of the picture. Most of the light fell on Van's young and ravishing face, the only thing that was pale and clear amid the sepia, crimson and black of the painting. His eyes were large and gleaming, deep-set beneath strong brows. He looked observant and intellectual, anticipating the adventures life has to offer him. But there is also something dark and powerful about Van, recalling the tainted poetry of Lord Folken. The resemblance between the two brothers becomes more and more noticeable. The only difference is perhaps the presence of hope in Van. The eyes in the painting express it. Beside Van, sitting on the ground before the throne, is a pile of books, which Gereon has painted red and sulphurous chrome. One of the titles was "A World in the Wind". On the other side of Van, lying close to his leg, was the royal sword, shining with blood and valor of innumerable battles.  
  
Gereon's Van seems solemn but also a little rebellious (since he is leaning on the throne instead of sitting on it) and very real. Ever since the disappearance of Escaflowne, the common saying on Gaea is that King Van has been demystified, because he lost the source of his power, Escaflowne. But they are wrong. The white dragon has always been Van himself. He has proved his greatness, with or without Escaflowne. And there is still a mysterious air about him. Perhaps it comes from the way he balances books with swords; perhaps it's the love he has with Hitomi; perhaps it stems from his past sufferings. Who knows. But it does not matter. For when one takes a look at his Fanelia, nothing more needs to be said.  
  
Palladium and Fidell have flourished magnificently. The huge diamond industry has brought enormous wealth to the kingdom, and coupled with the king's flawless financial plans and kindness, the people finally saw an end to poverty. Trees have grown on either side of the Grand Canal and parks were built, giving Fanelia its traditional emerald look. Due to the influx of immigrants eager to be under the rule of the legendary king, three more cities have been begun in the past few years. All three are situated on the plains above Fanelia Valley, beyond Fidell, and are being perfected daily. Much money has been allotted to construction and most of Van's time has been spent on the planning. He has expressed some reluctance at first about the expansion of Fanelia. Van has always believed that a place must be small in order to be close to the heart. Perhaps he's just nostalgic for his childhood days when Fanelia was cradled in a valley. But after hearing the desires of the people, he decided that reasonable expansion is necessary. He promises comfort and prosperity to his people. Fanelia will be an even more powerful kingdom someday, even though Van has restricted further growth beyond the three new cities. He has named the cities Varie, Folken and Aleph.  
  
In the castle itself, a garden has been made in the fashion of the gardens in Hitomi's old home. The royal family often spends afternoons there. On holidays, they would go up to their summerhouse in Folken. The castle walls have been paled by sunlight over the years, but at night, when the torches and candles are lit, the halls appear so solemn and quiet in their holiness, like the softly pulsing royal veins of Fanelia.  
  
As the years pass by, the kingdom grew, as did the children. Hermione has grown more adorable, but at the same time, more royal. Under her parents' minute care and spoils for her, she blooms with love, but also with haughty grace. She is every inch the princess. It is obvious that she has inherited her father's stubbornness and fire. In all her endeavours, she runs and rampages, rousing a tumult for everyone around her, while she laughs or tries to fly off using her wings.  
  
Valorick, on the other hand, contains the quiet strength of his parents. He is the amateur creator in the family, the artist with the deep green eyes of a visionary. Besides his creativity, there is his talent with the sword. While Hermione has the temper of a dragon, Valorick has the spirit of one. The few times he has held a sword, he demonstrated remarkable swordsmanship, as if it flows in his blood. If his father has not forbidden him to touch a sword, he would have grown up to be a great swordsman and pilot. As he matures, his curiosity about Escaflowne is intensified. But his father forbids that as well. He hears stories here and there, but those soon turned to legends, and legends into myths, until Escaflowne became a distant god that he struggles to believe in.  
  
Valorick's best friend and constant companion, Endymion, often sneaks into his room at night, and the two boys would dream of Escaflowne, with all its gallant and perilous adventures. But Endymion, who has his mother's gentle charm, curbs his imagination and dares not try to realize a myth in reality. He is a timid child, with blond curls and large, pensive blue eyes that he uses to observe Valorick daily. He admires the prince for his vast, unconquerable thoughts and creations. But Endy himself, being well-educated by his mother, is also a talent of sorts.  
  
For instance, one autumn evening, when King Allen and his family paid a visit, everyone gathered in the evening room after dinner, and stood before the open twilight windows and looked out at Fanelia. No candles were lit inside. The space was illumined by the moonlight that flew in generously. Everyone was silent. Then suddenly, Valorick jumped up and said excitedly, "Play something, Endy!" The guests cheered and Orion came up to urge his son. Endy looked up with sad and confused eyes, and slowly shook his head. But he could not resist being pushed to the grand piano and having his trembling fingers placed on the keys. After a few deep breaths, the music began. Even though he was only six years old, his song was a vision. He played a slow and tender sonata, full of strange beauty and sorrow. It seemed to be sung by an unknown lover who lies on the moon nightly, and mourns the loss of her faraway love. The audience was entranced. A tear came down Selena's cheek. Endy's delicate profile stood out against the moonlight, and he too became a part of the vision. The music ended. He turned to the audience and saw that their gazes were still fixed on the Mystic Moon, their dark irises lit by its white light. 


	16. Interlude II: Book of Aeons The Fire Sc...

This second section of the Interlude continues from the last update. Sorry it's taken so long ;) This concludes the entire Book I. Enjoy =)  
  
11. Allen's letter to Van  
Grey, 10th Moon, 13 ADW  
Dear Van,  
Though it's been a week since our meeting, I am still undecided about the Etolian war. I guess I've caught your malaise of morality and indecision. If we intercept the fight, it will seem like we're stepping into someone else's backyard. The Etolian leaders will undoubtedly react more strongly. If we don't interfere, the situation might get worse. But as Hitomi pointed out, it is after all an artistic quarrel. They are fighting about which philosophical ideology should dominate - this is hardly an issue we understand personally. At the end of this week, I will present my decision to the Alliance council and I will most likely vote for non-intervention. Let the clans work out their ideological problems on their own. What will you conclude?  
  
On a more cheerful note, congratulations on the completion of the city, Varie. The tower sounds like a splendid idea, as does the national park by the falls. I will definitely take the family for a trip once I have time for a vacation.  
  
Millerna and I are very glad to hear that you and Hitomi have agreed to have the birthday gathering in Palas this year. The new fisherman's wharf has been very popular with the citizens, and has boosted our economy. I've sure the kids would love it. Let me now apologize beforehand for any mischief that Amadis might do to Valorick or anyone else. A nine year old is harder to handle than I expected. Just a few days ago, he was caught sneaking into the melef storage room. Of course, he was duly punished, but I don't believe any punishment can deter him. His mind is simply too clever and reckless. Millerna still cradles him and that worsens his pride. Strangely, I see an image of my younger self in him. I'm sure you too remember the days when a sword brought the illusion of grandeur. I feel he's much too young for all this. I do love him, but about his behavior I can do nothing except sigh. Chid, on the other hand, is ever the pride and joy of our family. I suppose he gets his steadfastness and tact from his mother.  
  
We will see you in three colors' time.  
Yours truly,  
Allen C. Schezar  
  
12. Amadis's message to Valorick and Endymion  
Emerald, 1st Moon, 13 ADW  
Whatever I said on the card is not my true intention - this is. I never wanted to write you two a card anyways but my father forced me. Of course, I'd rather write a card than go to your stupid birthday party. I'm going to be sick that day. So you're turning 10. Big deal! I'm already 12! I don't see anything wonderful, talented or handsome about you, Valorick. I'm a prince too, you know. Besides, Asturia is much stronger than Fanelia. And don't you ever mention the fact that my father was not born a king like your father (or 'daddy' as you call him). What's so great about birthrights anyways? You're handed a golden plate just because you're related to some dead old guy? Don't be ridiculous, Valorick Fanel!  
  
Well, I'll see you two when you're older and more worthy. You probably haven't even seen a naked girl or stolen anything.  
His Royal Highness, Amadis Leon Schezar p.s. don't you dare tell anyone about this note.  
  
13. Hitomi's notes on the back of a photograph  
Summer Festival at Palas: Orange, 30th Moon, 18 ADW Back row (standing) from left to right: Chid, Allen, Van, Dryden Front row (kneeling): Amadis, Orion, Endymion, Valorick  
"Boys and Men." Our Val has grown so tall now. 12 years old. He looks just like the young and dashing Van I met on Earth about 17 years ago. Time flows by swiftly. But Van is still so charming, strong and handsome in his quietness. He still doesn't smile in pictures - only a slight grin. He seems not to have aged - especially since Hermione was born. Orion is also still like a young boy. A stranger would think he's about his son's age. Endy has his beautiful eyes, but none of his hilarious immaturity (look at that expression on his face!). The ageless child. Chid is a young man now. Steady in looks and leadership. He seems more reserved than the young Allen, but of course, he has the signature blond hair and blue eyes, full of the Schezar charm. Allen, always the knight in shining armour, appears the same but much wiser. Dryden is the one who seems to have aged, perhaps due to the pressures of business. Amadis looks older for his age (he has the funniest smile), obviously because he's done things only older people should do.  
  
A glorious summer. Love cooking BBQ and watching the boys run around on the grass, playing ball. H. K. F.  
  
14. Allen's message to Millerna  
Rose, 21st Moon, 19 ADW  
My love,  
When will you tear down the wall you have set up between us? I am dying for your forgiveness. Every moment of the day, I re-think my behavior and try to understand where I have gone wrong. I would never harm you and Amadis. What you said is simply not true: I do not love Marlene and Chid more. You are my queen, and Amadis is my son. I gave the oil painting to Chid only because he's the one who will treasure it more, not because I'm still enamoured with his mother. You know that Amadis has no care for art - I do not blame him, I love him still. But if I gave him a masterpiece of art, wouldn't that show how little I understand of his tastes? He's 15 now, and I trust he has his own judgement on things, and I won't coerce him to do anything. I'm harsh on him sometimes because he needs to be restrained, and it's my responsibility as his father to guide him. Please, love, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. It's been nearly 17 years since we got married. Please look pass this incident. Meet me in the library this afternoon and we'll talk more.  
Ever yours, Allen  
  
15. Hitomi's letter to Van  
Lilac, 22nd Moon, 20 ADW  
My most beloved Van,  
Being amongst these ancient Gaean ruins, I feel I have travelled back in time, not only to the beginning of Gaea's civilizations, but also to the days when I did archaeological research on the Mystic Moon. Thank you, my love, for this wonderful idea and for giving me the chance to explore the world. This expedition could not have been possible without you. I hope that everything is well in Fanelia. I know you must be doing fine on your own, but I still feel somewhat bad for leaving you alone, especially since the children can be quite a handful. But perhaps this is your chance to be with them, and to enter the next stage of fatherhood.  
  
Three days ago, I was still in the Jade Mountains of Asopia, where I studied the indescribable Ruins of Mooncarcia. At night, when the Mystic Moon gleams above the peaks and valleys, the stone ruins glisten with life and the mysterious hieroglyphics carved on them almost seemed to send moonlight through my veins. I have scraped some debris and sand off the stones and put them in a jar for you - they will glow under moonlight. I believe we have enough evidence to conclude that these stone monoliths were used for astronomical purposes, much like a place called Stonehenge on the Mystic Moon. When I return home, I want to compile a full report. We've also made progress in deciphering the ancient language. So far, 3425 characters have been decoded. This is very different from Atlantean. My students are very good in terms of being careful with the ancient monuments and they've been diligent in documenting everything they've seen or learned. My hope is that Val can one day participate in an exploration of this kind - it would suit his tastes perfectly. Dr. Oneseme has been very kind and sagacious in teaching me such a wealth of knowledge on ancient Gaean civilizations. I feel very honoured to be able to assist him in writing his book on Mooncarcia. He says he gets much of his complex philosophy from the beliefs of the ancient people. "They were not primitive," he says, "but were filled with a sublime simplicity that is the very kernel of wisdom."  
  
Yesterday, we took hot air balloons and flew across half of Gaea to come to Etolia, within only a few hours. Unfortunately, I was unable to see Fanelia from the air, since we flew more in the southern regions. Immediately after our arrival, we journeyed on foot to the magnificent Castalian Falls. I held my breath when I first saw it and it feels like I'm still holding my breath in awe! The golden rocks of the caves behind the fall, when reflected by sunlight, causes the water to shimmer iridescently! No wonder they call it Veil of the Muses. I wish you could be here to see it with me. Innumerable artists have gathered around here, crouching on rocks, wading in the pool, or setting up tents right next to ours. The atmosphere is full of songs, colors and profound phrases.  
  
Up until now, we've just been relaxing, sketching the landscape and doing some geographical measures in the vicinity. Tomorrow, we will actually dive and swim behind the falls and into the caves. As I'm sure you know, there is a legend that buried inside these caves are objects from the Mystic Moon. When I first heard this, every fibre of my being stood on ends, so I hope I can gain some confirmation tomorrow. Being born and raised on the moon, I'm sure I can verify the authenticity of anything we find.  
  
Just a few hours ago, an old woman who is a nomadic storyteller, came up to me and told me to look at the sky. I looked up and saw 'The Tears of Time', which will always be the constellation of Orion, or mitsu boshi, for me. She patiently sat down and told me the long lost myth (the one that Nestor couldn't find in the books), which I know you've been waiting to hear: the god of Time once contained the three crystals of past, present and future within his body, and he used them to control humanity and the universe. One day, this god fell in love with a mortal woman, but she refused to be with him because she knew of his tyranny. She said to him, "You may have all three crystals of time but you do not have eternity." The god was daunted and did not know how to react. He did not understand what eternity is. Some years passed, then one day he found his beloved was very sad - her father had died. Seeing her mourn for the loss of a loved one, he cried also. Within his tear was the crystal of the past. The woman witnessed that the god had feelings too, and that he really did love her, so she finally returned his love. They spend many happy years together, until sadly, the mortal woman passed away. The god of time felt heartbroken - their days of happiness were transient. He shed another tear and with it, the crystal of the present. But soon afterwards, the immortal soul of the woman flew to him and he had the revelation that love is not stopped by death. He finally understood eternity. With that, he shed his final tear and lost the crystal of the future. With the last crystal gone, he ceased to exist. His soul then entered the hourglass constellation, where he watches over Gaea eternally.  
  
I noticed that the old woman wore a beautiful necklace. She explained that this represents the myth. The necklace has 5 beads, one red that symbolizes the past, a blue one for the present, a green for the future, and on both sides of the chain of three is a white bead representing eternity. I thought this was a gorgeous charm. She gave me a few for keepsake. Hermione would love one.  
  
The stars of time are like invincible knights shining in silver armor, but their light also assuages the land and calms everything. Seeing this celestial sight, softened even more by the deep silence of the woods, I am filled with a strange sadness somehow. I suppose it's simply that I fear our ideal society, our kingdom, will one day become archaeological ruins as well. These great monuments and relics were hallmarks of a once glorious civilization, when people thought they had secured peace and prosperity for all times. But no, all towers must fall. Will ours meet the same fate? How can we believe in everlasting peace? This land may have the beauty of Serenus, but not its utopian bliss. Well, I'm just rambling on. All I need is to be back in your arms.  
  
I'm not sure when I can return. It's hard to give a precise length to our research. If we discover something in the caves then we will stay longer. If not, I will probably be back for Orion's 35th birthday. Give everyone my regards. Kiss the children for me. Don't forget to braid Hermione's hair and let her wear that pink necklace she likes. Don't let her order any more dresses. Watch over Val's readings. And of course, take care of yourself for me.  
Eternally yours, Hitomi  
  
16. Van's reply  
Red, 1st Moon, 20 ADW  
My Hitomi,  
A day after your last letter arrived, I received the package of the Mystic Moon relic. No message was attached, so I'm assuming you're absolutely speechless. I'm very happy for you that you've found pieces from your homeland. By the way, I've wanted to tell you again (I believe I have told you before, a long time ago) that I wouldn't mind it if you use the term "Earth". I know that's how you'll always think of it. The "Mystic Moon" never became familiar, did it? You don't have to change what you're comfortable with just for my sake or anyone else's. Feel free to express your nostalgia and love. I'm proud of you for that passion, because I too love my homeland.  
  
The Jade Mountains and Castalian Falls sound wondrous. I'm glad to hear that the expedition is fruitful. If you would like to thank Lord Oneseme then we can give him one of those diamonds with poetic quotes carved into them. It is him, not I, whom you should thank. The expedition as been good for your well being, and I'm glad I was able to help a little bit. I just wish I could travel as well. You needed a break from all the royal duties and housework. Sometimes, I feel like I ought to apologize to you, my dear, because married life with me turned out to be burdensome for you. Your lifestyle with me is full of responsibilities and fatigue. I know all this comes with our royal status, but I would still want you to enjoy a carefree life, always doing the things you love - that's the life I promised you when I proposed. I'm sorry it did not turn out so wonderfully. Therefore, please stay as long as you want for the research.  
  
I really liked the myth of the Tears of Time. I'll make sure Nestor records it in a book. It would make a great bedtime story for the kids. It's hard to believe that such a breathtaking story of love and eternity could be lost somewhere along the ages. But I suppose the greater beauty lies in having discovered the myth through an old lady, sitting by the muses' veil.  
  
Fanelia has been doing well. There are no more problems with hunting prohibition in Varies' national park. And Nestor has finished selecting the candidates for the authorities of Aleph - we will finalize this after your return. The traffic problem in Folken has been resolved also, and Orion has sent rookie officers to keep order. I sometimes wish Fanelia did not develop into such a big country. Some of the rustic idyll and emerald simplicity have been sacrificed for strength and size. But seeing the happiness of my people and family, I feel it's all worth it.  
  
In four days, the World Trade Council will meet in Godashim. There's no cause for worry. The economy has been stable for the past few years. They're most likely to talk about setting up a gidaru press in Fanelia. Val has been very studious - reading all day and looking into the trip he plans to take with Endy and Dryden. I'm letting him come with me to Freid next week, not for the council, but because him and Chid want to meet. As you know, they have been close correspondents. Chid has planned a few days to spend time with Val - to talk about girls, no doubt. While they talk, I will meet with Allen about Amadis's infatuation with Vianne. Merle is very anxious about all this, as am I, knowing the inconstant boy's tendency to charm then abandon girls. Allen is more embarrassed than he is anxious. He has expressed his wishes to speak with you about this when you come home.  
  
During my absence, Orion and Selena will take my place. There should be no problem. (On a side note, Orion has been stomping about how you can't be here for his birthday, but never mind him. Just bring him a present and he'll forget the whole incident.) I will return a day earlier than Val. Due to the excellence of his recent behavior, I have decided to grant him permission to fly back to Fanelia (he wants to see Freid's mountains and Fanelia's valley from the sky), provided that he flies at night, in case too many people notice his wings. Even after all these years, with the changes in Gaean attitude towards draconians, I still heed my mother's warning. It is unnecessary to show our wings unless in times of need. Furthermore, to use them as things of prettiness and decoration as Hermione does, seems almost a sacrilege.  
  
Our little princess has been even more naughty without you here. Just a few days ago, she tried to take the pendant from me while I slept. I was quite angry so I confined her to her quarters for a full day. I hope you don't think this was harsh punishment. The pendant is, after all, a token of our love, filled with historical and emotional significance, not a toy. Besides, it has been mine since the very beginning.  
  
I've tried to braid Hermione's hair but it was a disaster so I had to let the maid do it. However, I did personally clean our chambers, and make the bed. Without you, the bed is cold at night. I sometimes toss and turn for hours before falling asleep, holding a pillow and pretending it was you. A few nights ago, Val and Hermione slept with me but pushed me off the bed in the middle of the night. It seems that not even our king-size bed is big enough for all their kicking. Hermione has also complained that I don't' tell the story of Escaflowne as well as you do. I'm afraid I'm not a very good parent all by myself. Therefore I do look forward to your return. Home is not home without you. Do take care of yourself.  
Infinite love, Van Ps. I've added a new stone carving to your Japanese garden. Hope you like it.  
  
17. Valorick's letter to his parents  
Emerald, 1st Moon, 21 ADW, Year of the Dragon Wind  
Dear Mom and Dad,  
Today I turned 15! It is unfortunate that I'm unable to spend the New Year's Day with you and the family. Our stay in Asgard was a little longer than I had expected. But thank you for this life-altering chance to explore the wonders of the world. I am not exaggerating when I say that the multifarious landscapes, each blooming with its own story, have changed my very soul. I hope that upon my return home, you will find me to be a more mature son.  
  
Everyday, when the golden sun approaches the horizon, Endy and I will stand at the front of the ship, and watch the burning disc sink below the infinite line. The colors of the sky seem almost apocalyptic, and I just wish to fly straight into them and perish therein. Even before the sun disappeared fully, the Mystic Moon would shine above, softening the orange sea with its tender light. When night descends, everything becomes holy and eternal. Uncle Dryden would let us take down the sails, then all three of us would lie on the deck to watch the night sky. We saw the coming and passing of a great cloud - the moon and stars were hidden by the cloud but when the sea wind blew, the glittering objects soon appeared again. We listened to the rolling of the great tides, unfathomably deep beneath our feet, and fell asleep listening to what the sea sang to us.  
  
During our entire trip so far, the waters have been calm and no storm has struck (this is rare, considering it's winter in most places we've been to). We feel ourselves borne gently upon the azure arms of the vast and godly ocean. It was calm even when we were in Asgard, where Oceanus Procellarum is. It seems the curse of storms is gone. We hiked to where the Mystic Valley should be, and took some shots of the magnificent snowy peaks. Even without Atlantis, this place would be magical. When I get home, I should like to hear the Atlantis story again so I can connect everything with the views I have personally beheld.  
  
After Asgard, we sailed to Asopia, where the season is summer. Mom, you were right, the Ruins of Mooncarcia are unsurpassably solemn and beautiful. I imagined it would be a great place to hold a wedding, under the moonlight. We've also participated in flower harvests and talked to some of the locals. I just love their simplicity and idyllic way of life. But of course, while I admire them, they'd probably be envious of my palace life.  
  
After uncle Dryden finished his studies of the ruins, we journeyed to Etolia, and saw dolphins along the way. Near the resplendent Castalian Falls, an art festival was taking place. Endy and I entered a poetry contest, but sadly, we only got fourth place - which really isn't that horrible, but we had no medal to take home. While we swam near the falls, we felt we became beings of poetry. Life became intensified, and I'm suddenly conscious of my every thought, emotion, and action. I could hear the birds' twittering, the snapping of a twig, or even someone's heart beating. It's as if the whole universe became perceptible. I'm so happy to be alive. Thank you for giving me this life, this chance to live so vividly - it must be all a result of your love for each other and for me.  
  
Just last week, we returned to Valasia, and paid our visit to Freid. Chid has kindly given us a tour of the Temple at Fortuna. It is most solemn and mystical. Dad, uncle Dryden says that you once fought a battle here? Against the Zaibach soldiers? He also said you were badly hurt, and something about having to repair Escaflowne in order to save your life - I think I remember you telling me that before. Can I please hear the story again when I get home? That's also when you first met Chid, right? I can't imagine a battle ever having stained this sacred shrine of prayers and peace. Chid has felt deep sadness there, because he told us he lost his father, the duke, on that battlefield. It was also the day that Freid was defeated, and he became duke, after which he entrusted the seal sword to uncle Folken. I can't say I understand how he feels - my life is so sheltered in comparison. So many people have suffered. The very thought of losing you, mom and dad, agonizes me enough. If I had been in Chid's situation, I do not think I could have handled life and the dukedom as well as he did. Such courage is admirable, much like the steadfast faith of the monks. I think I ought to strengthen my own beliefs.  
  
I will be home about one color after you receive this letter. I look forward to being home again, being with family in the comforts and beauty of Fanelia. Please assure Hermione that I've purchased gifts for her, so she can stop complaining about not coming on this trip. Take care of the swans and horses for me. May the dragons soar with you.  
Your loving son, Valorick  
  
...................  
  
II. The Fire Scroll  
  
1. Diary of Persephone Varon, Shepherdess of Serenus The thunderclouds have parted momentarily and I can now see the Great Moons. But the stars have stopped dancing. All I could think of for the past few days is father's death. I will never forget his smile at that last moment. Perhaps we should be grateful that the heavens have at least given us the last promise of perpetual rest. Brackish water comes out of my eyes daily. I do not know what to name them. I'm sure father would like the words we carved on the stone for him, so simple - "Cyprus: Eternal Shepherd of the Greens."  
  
Yesterday, Corsaire and I ventured out the caves through the waterfalls. We collected dead leaves for our bonfire. Most of the trees have withered. The conflagration has destroyed them. The water from the falls and river are becoming scarce. I wonder if the river Freya is drying out as well. All the unicorns and dragons have disappeared, so we have no way of travelling elsewhere for food. Our emerald valley has died. Rumour has it that the creatures have retreated to Myst, to hide with the Numen. Why doesn't he come save us? How could he allow this sorrow to spread on our beautiful home world? Surely he has enough power to defeat the Fireans, but.  
  
Some of the others have taken ill from poor nutrition and the cold. Father was the last of the elderly. There are only 10 of us left to care for the young. Corsaire and his brothers sometimes talk about going off to fight, to defend Serenus. But like the rest of us, they have no idea how to. We've read of wars, we've seen the death and slaughtering, but being in a battle is impossible for us. We haven't the slightest idea how those dark ones can destroy life on Serenus without the holder of life willingly giving it up. The boys say it's evil magic. We were lucky to have escaped the massacre. This is survival but how is it a life? We must be vigilant, always running or hiding, struggling against an enemy we can neither understand nor defeat. We have never known this: fear.  
  
Corsaire says he once overheard some of the elders saying that the dark lords have a leader named Branimir. I don't know who this person is but I try to imagine what he's like. The more I think of his action, his nature, the more a strange emotion overcomes me. It feels as if the blood in my body is running faster and hotter, my head hurts and I make weird expression, while my hands shake violently. This new emotion frightens me. When it enters me I feel I am not myself. I've never felt this way before, so I can't even name it. Hopefully, it will never return. I have stopped thinking about Branimir. But the war will not leave my mind. I'm constantly trying to figure out exactly what a war means. All those images of people dying stab my heart. I wish I never learned what death was. War burns. There's fire everywhere. The fighting on the other parts of Serenus rages on and more people are dying everyday. I tell myself I must be strong. I must not shed any more water.  
  
I often wonder if mother's watching over me from the heavens. I wish I could see her eyes - gold and silver as father says. Maybe death will take me to the wandering stars and I can finally meet her! I look down at the ring on my necklace, and father's last words come back to me. Someone must go seek help and learn the art of war. Is it my calling? I've debated for the past few days and have come to a conclusion, though it brings me infinite fear. I must do as father instructs, and travel to Myst. I will ask the Numen's permission, enlist the help of the draconians and use the Pegasus to fly to that western moon the draconians call Gaea. If father is right, then the ring he said Queen Hitomi gave him will be my guide and proof. I must find King Van of Fanelia. But will he really help me and fight against Branimir for Serenus? Can I, a simple girl, actually achieve this much? Will the Numen even let me go? And even if I do succeed in my journey, can this draconian king really defeat the evil? I am filled with too many questions. I should just trust father's instincts. Mother will guide me as well. I plan to leave for Myst tomorrow night, when everyone's asleep and when the moons hang high.  
Persephone  
  
2. Branimir's letter to Commander Dares of the Firean Army  
Dares,  
So have you heard? My mother is dead. Call it a lucky accident, shall we? That old bitch didn't even deserve Firean steel. She could not have lived any longer. So with the matriarch gone, I am now Emperor of the Athlon Empire, and General of the Fireans! Impressive title, isn't it? From now on, your soldiers will treat me with more respect. Take care to remind them of the punishment for disobedience.  
  
We've hibernated long enough. This 'rehearsal' assault on Serenus has been rejuvenating for my Fireans. Pleased to hear that you've nearly wiped out all those useless pacifists. But I still have to kill that Aleph who's hiding somewhere in the universe, and I have to find Seraphine's bastard daughter. Why don't you send a search and rape team? Plus, I don't want to see any more greens. Burn it all. And make sure no one leaves that accursed planet.  
  
As I've mentioned to you last time, I'm drawing up the new plan. The right time has come again. There's great confidence on our side, since her powers are gone and she still doesn't know who she is. Escaflowne has reappeared in the universe. The image is becoming stronger everyday. No one else senses it - not even him. It will answer my call this time. It will be mine and with it, I can control Atlantis - it was meant to be ruled by the Fireans. During our hiatus, I've heard nothing but Fanelia. I'm sick of hearing about the Fanels. Past, present and future, it's all Van, Van, Van! But you know, I ought to thank him really - he reminds me I'm alive, alive, jumping and immortal with a purpose. Seeing them all so happy just makes me feel cannibalistic. They with all their ideals of peace - such asinine stupidity. But peace really is so desirable sometimes it's sickening. Destroy the concept and possibility, and then we will never suffer again.  
  
Leave your soldiers, and come back to Athlon for a few days. We need to discuss the new plan.  
His Fierceness, Branimir  
  
........  
  
"The Visions are white, blue, white, pale red. In the end they mingle and all are pale, the colors of a flame of a white candle; you will see sparks, you will feel gooseflesh all over your body. This announces the beginning  
of the attraction exerted on the one who fulfilled the mission."  
Papus  
  
~ End of Interlude: Book of Aeons ~  
  
Well, well, that was your insight into the personal lives of our beloved characters. Did you like the idea of having letters and dairies instead of a pure narrative? I hope that you have noticed the character development as well as the little things that will lead onto Book II. I know that certain places have been confusing, but hopefully they'll be worked out later on. Actually, I'm not even sure if I will continue with the story, hehe. Maybe I'll just leave things up to your imagination! Thing is, I have only a vague outline of how the ending should be, and there's a huge gap in the middle. Plus, I have that annoying thing called school. Well, I'll have to see if the muses favor me in the next few months =) Once again, thanks for taking this flight with me. The writing experience could not have been complete without you! Hope to see you again! E-mail me if there are any questions, concerns, or even suggestions for Book II. If you would like to see any plot elements added, I'd be glad to put it in! That way, you can be a part of the creating process! 


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